


Book 4: Ties That Bind

by DevinCx, piratenami



Series: Knights of the Old Republic: Outcasts [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Non-Explicit Sex, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Character-centric, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevinCx/pseuds/DevinCx, https://archiveofourown.org/users/piratenami/pseuds/piratenami
Summary: When she left her home years ago, Liana never expected to come back.But now that they have been declared fugitives by the Republic, the Wanderer's crew and their Mandalorian allies seek refuge on Liana's homeworld, the Trianii colony of Ekiibo.Now they must fight not with blasters or lightsabers, but with words as they are plunged into the internal politics of the Trianii. Enemies hide behind smiles, and friends hide knives in the dark.





	1. Haze

The bar was dead.

Ori Ket looked about and shrugged. It was the late afternoon and they'd only just opened, after all. The only patrons here at this point were those whose drinks got more and more water in them as the night wore on. 

It wasn't that Ori was short-changing them; it was that these were her friends. They were the cast of characters who were here every night and gave the bar its soul. She watered their later drinks because, in the first place, no organic being could consume that much alcohol and live. And in the second place, because they were too drunk by then to notice.

The Ithorian hammerhead three stools down from her was a classic example. His full name was something human vocal cords couldn't even attempt, so she called him Narhm. He'd gotten off shift about an hour ago and made the only straight line of his day to Ori's. Once there, Narhm ordered four different kinds of Corellian brandy ("One for each throat!" as he joked every damn time) and knocked them back simultaneously. Then he ordered four more, which he took at a much more sedate pace. Ori knew Narhm. He'd been here when she bought the place and he'd be here when the wrecking ball knocked it down. Probably still on that same barstool. If she continued to pour his usual seven-to-eight rounds at full strength he'd be dead by morning.

What kind of friend lets her paying customers commit suicide by brandy?

"So," Narhm said. Well, actually it was the translator unit on his wrist that said it. The little thing even added the slurring of Narhm's speech. "Didcha hear te newsh?"

"What news, Narhm?" She lovingly polished the wooden bar top before her.

"Dey shay te Chashellar ob te Republicsh gonna make a shpeech."

"Isn't that what he normally does?" she asked with a grin. "Politicians make speeches, barkeeps pour drinks." She topped off Narhm's latest round.

"Dish one'sh bou te prablemsh on Cash... Casu... Casa... wha'sh it?"

Ori's heart filled with dread. "Castell?"

"Tha'sh it!"

Ori turned around and tuned the bar's holo-projector to a news channel. Sure enough, there was Chancellor Todo Brox, standing before the full Republic Senate. 

The politician was resuming the podium after some woman had concluded her remarks. "With the aid of the Jedi Order, and after a lengthy investigation, we have identified the terrorists behind the Mandalorian siege of Castell." 

Mandalorian terrorists sounded about as accurate at Hutt philanthropists, Ori thought.

Still images appeared in the air next to the Chancellor's hologram as he named names. "The architect of the so-called 'Free Mandalorian Fleet' was the Baroness Astanzia of Clan Ordo, who died in the battle to retake Castell. Her chief lieutenants however, have eluded Republic custody. They are: Caitlyn and her brother Gatrius of Clan Rook..."

The factory down the way must have let out. A veritable horde of people had made their way into the bar while she was distracted. Drink orders began flooding in, and Ori turned her back on the screen as she hurried to fill them.

Brox's voice continued. "...as well as the following collaborators: Captain Liana of the Trianii, Aeron Rhade of Solara, Renn Falani of Nar Shaddaa, and Kara Tao Vanden of Derra IV."

Ori froze.

No way in kriffing hell had she heard that right. She turned to see her boy's face grinning down at her from the projector.

"Tae...." she almost said aloud.

A familiar bluster washed out whatever else Brox was saying. "Ori, me darlin'! Bottle of yer finest!"

She turned to see Wagner bellying up to her bar. 

Wagner, whom she'd last seen when she pressed him into service to get Kara, Meena, and her idiot son to Castell through the very blockade they were now charged with leading.

Ori kept her calm. She remembered to breathe. She reminded herself for the umpteenth time that day of the wise words of her favorite instructor: 'You can get more with a kind word than you can with a stun baton.'

Then she lunged across the bar, seized the bluff human by his lapels and heaved backwards, using her weight and leverage to haul him up off his feet. She bore her one good eye into his suddenly panicked ones. "Wagner," she said with icy calm, "tell me what you did with my son...." She leaned in and filled the last word with the promise of every terrible thing Wagner could imagine happening. "Please."

Because the same instructor used to follow it up with: 'Of course, you can get more with a kind word _and_ a stun baton than you can with just a kind word.'

"What do ya mean?" Wagner said, sweat beading his forehead. "I got him and the two girls to Castell and sent them through the lines. All three landed safely on the planet and then I bugged the hell out. Got the Violator shot up pretty good in the process, I'll have you know...."

"You mean you left three _kids_ behind on a besieged world?!"

"That was our _deal!"_ he said. "You said get them there. Weren't no mention of _retrieval,_ just delivery."

A logical person might say that he had a point. Every disobedient child in the galaxy can tell you, however, that angry mothers are rarely logical. Ori was about to pop Wagner's head like a fizzywine cork when she noticed someone sitting in the corner, watching too carefully.

Watching _her_ too carefully.

She made a quick visual sweep. Three more, all equally uninterested in their drinks, all near a door or window, and all as nondescript as possible.

"Wagner, you've got two options," she said, again in that icy calm. "First option, I kill you right here and now, and then use your corpse as a human shield."

He gulped. "And th' second?"

"You come behind the bar and serve a round on the house to everyone here while I slip out."

"Excuse me, darlin'? I don't think I heard ye right?"

"You did. Choose."

Wagner's eyes flashed. "If I take option two, it clears us." The brogue had disappeared. "Everything, even my tab."

He had her over the proverbial barrel and he knew it. _"If_ my bar's still here and _solvent_ when I get back, sure."

"Done and done, me darlin'!"

She dropped him, and he vaulted the bar. Once firmly on _her_ side of it, Wagner threw both hands in the air and proclaimed loudly, "Ladies, gentlebeings, and non-gendered species! Th' drinks is on th' _house!"_

Slipping out the side door in the chaos was child's play. Getting past the person guarding the side door? That was fun.

Ori exploded out the door and slammed into the soldier standing just outside it. She snapped her palm up into his chin and continued the upward swing, pulling his helmet clean off. Then with her other hand, she cracked his head against the wall on the far side of the alley. He fell like a sack of bricks.

Pausing only long enough to give the man a thorough search, Ori melted into the evening crowd.

***

Specialist Jenk Marlo was the man the Republic came to when it couldn't be _officially_ done. 

He'd run hundreds of ops. Extractions were his favorite. Bread-and-butter ops, he liked to call them. Getting someone out of trouble, or yanking some enemy of democracy out from behind the borders they were hiding behind? He loved it.

But now, he was too old to run with the dogs. So he sat overwatch nearby in a parked heavy lift van, surrounded by the screens that fed him real-time data from his men's cameras and communication rigs. 

Of course, every so often, they weren't so simple.

"One, this is Null," he said into his headset. "Respond, One."

Static. The operation area was pure chaos as dozens of people crowded at the bar, trying to score free booze.

"Damn it, does anyone have eyes on the target?" Marlo said. This was going south in a hurry.

"No joy, Null," One finally said. "Do we move in?"

Marlo growled a curse to himself. "All right. One, hold position. Two and Three, move in. Perimeter team, stay frosty."

The acknowledgements came in.

Then Six dropped off the tactical net entirely. Kriffing hell! The one spot on the perimeter not covered by observation overlap. "Perimeter breach! Six is down! Everybody in, in!"

The lift van's cargo door slammed open and the target herself climbed inside, a blaster leveled right at Marlo's head.

"So," she said, "who taught your advanced infiltration course? It was Loyre, wasn't it?"

"Wha-? How would you know that?"

"'Cause he used to make all the same mistakes your guys just did. Know your ground, man. The target sure does. So, what were your orders? Snag, bag and tag? Or was this a friendly get-together gone south?"

"Bag," Marlo said.

"Ah." She nodded. "Your C.O.'s General Resh, right?"

Marlo noted her posture and slowly snaked his hand toward the blaster hung in the rack by his head.

The target's weapon snapped to aim right between his eyes. "Don't do that, kid. Cleanup's a bitch."

Marlo eased his hand away. 

"Better. Do me a favor. Tell ol' Reshie that I'll meet him one-on-one at the Exhaust Port, four months from today at quittin' time. He'll know what it means." She sighed. "I'm gonna stun you now. But it's my only warning. I see any of you or yours again, I shoot the _red_ bolts."

A bright blue flash was the last thing Marlo saw until they woke him up several hours later.

***

Ori Ket dropped the blaster and comlink she'd taken off the Republic soldier to the floor of the lift van before scampering out and melting back into the crowd. 

Mentally, she made a note. After she found out why the Republic wanted her idiot son and his friends, she was going to give Reshie a piece of her mind about the lax training standards....

***

Meena awoke with a sore back. It didn't take long to realize why. She was still sitting by Aeron's bedside, but she'd wound up sleeping with her head pillowed on her forearms against the side of his bed, hunched over in a really awkward position in her chair.

She straightened up with a groan, rubbing her back. She must have been exhausted to actually be able to sleep like that.

She turned to stretch, and suddenly realized that Aeron was sitting up, watching her. He wasn't looking right through her anymore.

He was awake.

"He's awake!" Meena shrieked into her comlink. She unleashed a torrent of words at him. "You're awake? Really? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" She looked around frantically. "Um... water... wait, first I should get the medtechs..."

Aeron raised a hand. "Meena, please," he said. "Wh... Where am I?"

"Oh. Sorry." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "You're aboard the Phoenix. It's one of the Mandalorian ships, but they're okay. They helped us rescue you. You've been in the medbay for a week."

"They're... what? How are you here, too? You were on Nal Yeshu.... Oh, let me guess. Kara and Renn and you came to our rescue and got captured yourselves, right?"

"Not quite... it's a really long story." Meena stood. "We've all been so worried about you. Everyone should be here soon. We'll explain it all, I promise."

The door opened then, but it was just one of the Phoenix's medtechs. Meena moved off the side quietly as the medtech checked the machines that Aeron was still hooked up to.

"Your vitals look good, Jedi," the Mandalorian said, then he got out of the way as the Wanderer's crew, droids included, descended on the small room. It became a mass of well-wishes.

"Aeron, you're awake! — 'Bout time, you slacker — It is good to see you again, Aeron — Master Aeron, you are fully functional at last!" Meena was almost moved to tears by it all.

"Wait, wait...." Aeron tried to stop them. "This is all coming at me too fast." He turned to Liana. "Captain, what's happened since the guards took me from my cell?"

Liana put a gentle hand on his arm. "When they brought you back to your cell, you were-" She shook her head. "You would not respond to anything or anyone. Renn came with our new Mandalorian friends to get us out. I believe the rescue plan was their idea."

Renn nodded agreement.

Liana continued. "We escaped, but... there was a battle over Castell." She faltered, as if she was not sure how to explain. 

Kara took up the thread. "The Jedi were behind it, Aeron."

"What?! That's ridiculous, Kara!" Aeron said.

Kara took a deep breath and continued. "Master Quinn was posing as the head of the Mandalorian fleet, and other Jedi were disguised among them. They sabotaged the Fleet's ships so they couldn't escape. Then Master Kell showed up with a huge Republic fleet and obliterated the Mandalorian fleet — except that Master Quinn was supposedly with him too."

"They were in on it together," Renn said. "It's the only explanation."

"No!" Aeron said. "That makes no sense! Yes, the Jedi are not what they once were, but to do _that...."_ He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "It is simply not in their character."

Meena spoke quietly, her hands clasped in front of her. "Aeron, the people of Castell...." She remembered what Cait had told her, and a shudder went through her. "The warships opened fire on the planet." She saw Renn take Kara's hand out of the corner of her eye. She forced herself to continue though the worst part. "Millions of people died on the planet," Meena said, "for... whatever it was they wanted."

"They wanted someone to blame so they looked like the heroes coming in to save the day," Renn said. "By the way, they managed to pin this whole thing on us. We're all wanted by the Republic now. You included."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Renn!" Aeron snapped. "The Jedi are fundamentally incapable of doing what you're accusing them of!"

Meena fell back a pace at his vehemence. "Aeron, I'm sorry, but it's the truth!"

The door to the room swished open and Cait came in, wearing her freshly painted armor. It gleamed black, with purple splashes along the arms and torso, exactly like the markings on Meena's lekku. "Our sleeper is awake I see."

Meena was shocked at the hostile glare Aeron threw Cait. 

With her helmet firmly in place, there was no way for Meena to know what Cait was feeling. Her words were flat, emotionless. "Jedi Rhade, welcome aboard the Phoenix of Clan Rook, the final remaining ship of the Free Mandalorians. I'm sure you have questions, but first know you are an honored guest among my Clan."

Aeron's voice held more cold anger than Meena had thought he could possess. "My friends have been slandering my people, Mandalorian. Do you have fresh slurs to hurl at the Jedi's feet?"

"Enough!" Liana said. It brought everyone up short, including Meena, who had never heard her speak so sharply before. When the Wanderer's Captain spoke again, her tone was calm and measured, but firm. "Aeron, I know you are upset. I understand. But we are all alive right now because of this woman and her Clan. If you believe nothing else we have told you, then believe _me_ when I tell you that your anger is wrongly directed at her."

Aeron met Liana's eyes for a long moment. Then his shoulders slumped and he turned his gaze to Cait. "I am sorry, Warrior. My words were ill-considered."

Cait nodded, and then removed her helmet to look him in the eye. "Your apology is accepted, Jedi Rhade. I am Cait of Clan Rook, the commander of this ship." Her expression softened. "Were our positions reversed, and I had heard such ill spoken of my people, I would not be nearly as... moderate... as you were."

Aeron responded with as formal a bow as he could make from the medical bed. "I am Aeron Rhade, formerly of the Jedi, and now of the Wanderer. I am grateful to you, Cait Rook, for the lives of my friends"—he met Meena's eyes—"and my family."

Meena felt her cheeks warm and looked away, embarrassed. She suddenly wondered how much Aeron had actually heard of what she'd told him while he was in his coma, or whatever it was. Did he remember what she'd said about herself and Cait?

Liana put a hand on Aeron's shoulder in approval, but said nothing else. "Kriffing idiot," Renn muttered, in a softer tone than Meena expected.

Aeron turned to Kara. "I- I don't remember what happened to me. Could you examine me? In the Force, I mean."

Kara shook her head. "I've been trying to ever since you were rescued. I can't make any sense of your Song. In the Music, you sound like two orchestras playing different pieces at the same time. It's... It's pure chaos. You're... kind of painful to Listen to."

Renn snorted, but Aeron winced. "I kept having visions of mirrors, endless mirrors. I don't know how whole I really am, but I am ready to serve, if I can. What is our next move?"

"About that." Liana looked over at Cait. "I think it is something we should all discuss together, Commander, with any of your crew you trust for such decisions. I... may have an idea."

"Oh?" Kara asked. She seemed glad to change the subject.

Cait nodded. "I'll assemble a council of... perhaps not war, but survival?"

"That sounds like a plan," Liana said.

***

They met several hours later in the large briefing room aboard the Phoenix. Liana arrived with her crew and Meena, who had helped them get Aeron back to the Wanderer after he was cleared to leave the medbay, so he could clean up and don fresh clothes. Cait had brought a small contingent of her own officers.

Liana hesitated, looking cautiously at the Mandalorian leader. She didn't want the other woman to think she was trying take over, but she was also used to being in charge. Finally, she just began, when it seemed no one else was going to speak first. "I'm sure we are all aware that we are now fugitives from the Republic. That severely limits our options going forward."

Meena raised her hand to interrupt. "Um... he never said _my_ name."

Renn nodded. "I noticed that, too, so I've been checking." He had his datapad with him, and was tapping rapidly on it. "She's clean," he said. "I haven't found any mention of her anywhere in conjunction with this mess." He looked up at Liana. "We need to drop her off somewhere so she stays that way."

"Like hell!" Meena said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Meena..." Renn said.

"No! If that's true, you're all going to need me. I'm the only one who'll be able to do anything and maybe escape getting caught."

"That will be dangerous for you," Liana said.

"I can be brave," Meena said. Her eyes flicked towards Cait, then back down at her own hands. "I want to."

Renn tapped a few more times on his datapad. "Oh, I have more kriffing fantastic news, by the way," he said. "Our ship and individual finances are frozen, too, even the stuff that goes through Nar Shaddaa. That means all we have is what we have on us."

"Except mine," Meena said.

"Fine," Renn said. "At least let me set up a fake identity for you, so you can keep your real name out of this?"

"That's a good idea," Aeron said from where he sat amongst the crew. "In fact, maybe we should forge a new registry for the Wanderer under Meena's new ID." He looked to Liana. "Forgive me, dear Captain, but a classic Corellian freighter owned by a Trianii is just too unusual not to catch."

Liana nodded and her tail lashed a little. But he was right. "That would be a wise precaution," she said with a sigh. 

"Oh, now I am so glad I found that transponder," Renn said. "It might not be a bad idea for all of us to have false IDs in case of emergencies, but I can work on that later."

Kara's face suddenly fell. Liana knew well what her name meant to her. But then the girl looked up and nodded firmly. "Do it."

Renn looked at Kara in concern, a small frown on his face. Liana wondered what was going on there, but now was not the time for that.

Cait had been quiet so far. Liana looked across at the Mandalorian leader. "My people, the Trianii," she said, "are independent from both the Sith and the Republic. They do not have much to do with the rest of the galaxy. There is a chance, if I ask it, that they will grant us... if not asylum, then at least safe passage and a chance to resupply in their territory." 

She hesitated. "It may be a huge risk. I will not lie to you. They don't often allow outsiders in their territory, save for traders or diplomats on certain colony worlds. They may not agree to such a request. They may just shoot us down instead."

One of Cait's men, the crazy dropship pilot, Lug, snorted through his helmet. "Don't take this the wrong way, Captain Liana, but that's a pretty major understatement. The Trianii Rangers tend to shoot Mandalorians first, then shoot again and forget all about the questions."

"We cannot simply keep running," Liana said. "We will need fuel and supplies before long."

"True enough, Lug," Cait's brother, Gat, said. "But Liana's right. We'll be on fumes pretty soon and our food and water situation isn't too rosy either."

"We might be able to hide in Hutt Space for a little while, maybe even get a chance to refuel and stock up if we can change our transponder, but I wouldn't trust the Hutts not to sell us out if they find us," Renn said. "Besides, the Republic probably has agents there watching for us. I don't have any contacts anywhere else."

"I can think of no other options," Liana said. "We cannot stay in the Republic, and we are not going anywhere near Sith territory. It would be too dangerous for Kara there."

"We can't go home, either," Gat said. 

Liana nodded. "Despite Lug's misgivings about them, I _was_ a Trianii Ranger. I still had friends among them when I left. If I can speak to them, they may listen to me."

Cait finally spoke. "That's a lot of maybes, possibilities, and mights. Captain Liana, may we speak in private?"

Liana heard Gat mutter to Renn, "Oh boy, I'd kill to be a fly on that wall."

"Of course," Liana said, wondering what that meant. She stood and accompanied Cait out of the briefing room.

They retired to an unoccupied smaller room with subdued lighting and a bewildering array of chairs, small tables, meditation mats and large cushions. The room had a panoramic view of the stars outside the ship, and what looked like a fully stocked bar. 

"This," Cait said "is the _mirshko yamika_ , or 'Focus Room.' This is where we come to, among other things, make major decisions." She went to the bar and returned with two large bottles: one of Trianii liquor, the other Liana didn't recognize. Cait took them to a small table in the middle of the room. She set the unknown bottle down on one side, with a tumbler, and kept the Trianii bottle in front of herself. "Have a seat, Captain."

"Thank you." Liana seated herself. "I am surprised you have that," she said, nodding to the bottle she recognized. "I did not think it was safe for other species to consume."

"It's got some kick, yes," Cait said. "But so does that one before you." The woman sighed. "I respect you, Captain. I respect the way you handle your little clan, and that they have all laid their lives on the line for you and each other."

Liana nodded her thanks.

"However," Cait said, "I am responsible for my own people, in a galaxy where everything wants our blood. I'm sure you can understand when I say that respect is not enough to wager their lives on." She poured her tumbler half-full of the Trianii drink and knocked it back in one go.

Ah. Liana poured herself some of the drink Cait had set before her. The whiff she caught of it as she poured was potent. "That is understandable. I feel the same about my own. They are more than my crew. They are my family." 

Liana closed her eyes and drank the entire glass. She was expecting it to burn, the same way Trianii liquor did. It burned in a different way, and the taste was pleasant. She opened her eyes again, to look at the other woman. "I would not suggest this course of action if I thought we had any other choice. If you have an alternative, Commander, by all means, I will listen."

Cait poured another. "That's the thing, I don't." She downed the glass again in a single pull. "We aren't even welcome in our own home system anymore—" the Mandalorian reached for her bottle a third time, "—but you didn't tell us everything in there. There's something you haven't shared with your crew. If you want me to seriously consider this plan, you need to tell me everything, now." She paused. "I give you my word that I will keep your secrets safe, as if they were my own. But I won't lead my people blindly into another snare."

"Very well." Liana said and poured another glass with a sigh. "I did not leave on the best of terms with two powerful Matriarchs on my homeworld." She drank and then reached for the bottle to pour another glass.

"My father, husband, and daughter died in an accident." Somehow it was easier to say it so matter-of-factly. Perhaps the alcohol helped with that as well. "My mother and I... did not know what to do with each other's grief. My husband's mother blamed me for what happened. I broke with both of them when I left my homeworld." 

As she finished her third glass, Liana sighed at the rapidly emptying bottle. "So we may have as many enemies there as we do here. Or we may not. I have been gone a long time. I do not know how things stand anymore. I go into this just as blind as the rest of you in some ways."

"Well, that'll learn me to ask for honesty," Cait said, matching her shot for shot. "If it was just you and yours, would you go?"

"I would. It is the only move I can see open to me with any chance of success. Perhaps it is the wrong choice, but I would rather try and fail than allow my family to fall into the hands of their enemies."

"Fair enough. So then, what's the next step? We should probably decide that before we get much drunker."

Liana chuckled at that. "I can provide your crew with coordinates to the edges of Trianii space. I will need to convince the Trianii Rangers to allow us to enter their territory. Each Trianii world has its own ruling council, the _yu'nar_ , made up of Matriarchs of some of the more prominent families. It is to the _yu'nar_ of my home colony, Ekibo, that we would have to appeal." 

She paused, looking seriously across at Cait. "I will need to speak for both of us, if we are to have a chance at this. But I do not wish to undermine you."

"You are Clan leader for my kin," Cait said. "Further, you have proven yourself to be honorable. I can yield to you on your ground. However...." The half-drunken ease in her snapped tight as a whip. "I will decide what is best for my Clan. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Liana said. "I would expect nothing less." She held her hand out to Cait. 

They shook. "Now," Cait said with an impish grin, "shall we finish these fine bottles? 'Cause with all the uncertainties ahead of us... damn, I need a drink."


	2. Hangovers

Liana stumbled into the main hold of the Wanderer the next morning and went straight for the medbay. Only once she had taken some painkillers did she emerge to face her crew.

All three of them were already awake and sitting at the table. Renn and Kara were sitting close together on one side, with Aeron across from them. T5 rolled over to Liana, beeping. Her head was in too much agony to decipher it, and she cringed. "Quiet, T5, please?" she asked. He beeped mournfully and rolled off again.

Liana got herself a cup of caf. Hopefully that would help the painkillers work faster.

"Is someone feeling a little delicate this morning?" Renn asked in a too-loud voice, smirking at her.

"Renn, stop it," Kara said, elbowing him.

"Are you kidding? I've never seen her get that drunk before," he said. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

"Keep talking, Renn," Liana said, sitting beside Aeron. "I will tell them every embarrassing thing I know about you once this headache goes away." She paused a moment. "Remember, I have known you for many years. I also talked with your mother at length before she left. I have a great deal of ammunition."

Renn stopped speaking. That was better. Although now both Kara and Aeron were looking at her curiously.

"Ooh, tell us anyway, Boss," Kara said.

"And lose my advantage?" Liana sipped her caf. "I need something to hold over him." The painkillers were starting to kick in, and she could at least think past the haze now. "Give me your datapad, Renn," she said.

Her partner looked back at her, suspicious. "Why?"

"Because I need you to do something for me, and I _am_ still Captain of this ship," she said. He sighed and handed it over. Liana pulled up a galactic map on the datapad, and found the location she needed.

She tapped it, placing a marker there on the map. "Give these coordinates to Cait. This is where we will need to go." She handed the datapad back to Renn. "And please ask them to alert us when we're almost there. We will likely be approached by Ranger ships not long after entering Trianii territory, and our allies will need me to negotiate passage."

"Right," Renn said, taking his datapad back. "Are you sure about this, Captain?"

"It is as I told Cait: I would rather do this than let any of you fall into the hands of our enemies. Whatever the Jedi want with us...." She couldn't finish the thought.

They all looked grim.

Liana sighed. "I- when we are in Trianii space, your behavior will reflect upon me, as your... Captain. Please make an effort not to offend anyone." She looked straight at Renn as she spoke.

"What? Why is everyone looking at me?" he asked, petulant.

Liana smiled fondly. "Because we know you."

Renn rolled his eyes, then rose to take care of the task she'd assigned him. Setting them irrevocably in motion, toward something she was not sure she was ready to face, even with more than ten years distance now between her and the grief she had fled.

Liana looked down at her mug, lost in her own thoughts.

***

Jedi Master Valen Kell was not used to such... wasted space.

His chambers on Solara had been small, almost a cell really. Just a cot, a trunk and a nightstand with a basin of water. The simple needs of a man beyond possessions. But now, as Minister of Galactic Security, Master Kell was required to remain under the watchful eye of the Republic's Senatorial Guard. To keep the position, he had been forced to relocate to Coruscant, and no one of his importance could live so simply in the center of galactic society.

His secure apartment within the Jedi Temple was palatial by comparison. Its floorspace rivaled that of the entire Academy core back on Solara. Vast rooms, large transparisteel windows looking out on all sides over the teeming life of the planet city, and modern conveniences Kell hadn't even dreamed of... all at his fingertips.

Such vulgar waste. It was not to his liking at all.

But the space had other advantages, such as keeping his advisors close at hand. In one of the few rooms without exterior windows dwelt the Three.

Of all the Jedi, living or legend, their sight into the future or past was without equal. The Three rarely spoke in words, but rather as a chorus of images, sensations and feelings. To converse with the Three was to endanger your mind in the torrential stream of their knowledge. What their shared consciousness must endure, in that ever-evolving maelstrom that was the future, made Kell shudder.

It was their vision that Kell and his followers served. The Three charted the course to an ordered galaxy, through the dangerous currents of chaos that ever sought to destroy the peace.

And now, the Three had a message for Kell.

He stood before them, head bowed respectfully low. "Yes, Masters, there was... something?"

Only one of the Three raised their face to Kell; the other two kept their heads low, as if they wanted to hide from what they had seen. Yet all three spoke, as was their custom. That they said anything aloud only served to underscore the importance of the message.

"The hand of D'Yarn will reach forth," they said, "and imperil the vision."

"But D'Yarn is dead," Kell said. "How can he interfere with the plan at this point...? Ah, of course. Not D'Yarn himself, but his Padawan. We have yet to run her to ground."

The Three nodded. "The hand of D'Yarn must found at all cost." Then they returned to their mutterings, the moment of clarity gone.

Kell left them to their visions and strode to his comm console. Master Quinn answered almost immediately.

"Master Kell?" she asked. "What has occured?"

Quinn was, as ever, the most perceptive person he'd ever met. "The Three have had a vision. A new threat to our plans has risen. The Padawan of Master D'Yarn."

"Yenaia Tran," Quinn said with just the barest hint of distaste. The girl had a tremendous talent for healing with the Force, and had proven remarkably resistant to Quinn's attempts to add her as one of the Shadows.

The one time Quinn's talent for mental conditioning had completely failed.

"Just so," Kell said. "As long as she stayed hidden among the dregs of the galaxy, I was content to let her be, but if she is as grave a threat as the Three believe... we must deal with her, at once."

"It will be difficult," Quinn said. "Tran knows the minds of our Shadows, and she has eluded them with disturbing ease."

"We have... other resources at our disposal now. Use your position in the Republic secret police structure. Issue an order that Yenaia Tran is to be located and captured, alive only. Once she is in our grip, you may... bring her fully into the fold."

Quinn's eyes gleamed. "She will make a most excellent Shadow, Master." Her image vanished as she cut the connection.

Kell sighed. As always, he felt them dancing along the razor's edge of the dark side. Perhaps they'd already reached the tipping point and lost themselves, but the vision _must_ be followed, wherever it lead.

It was the galaxy's only hope for survival. If that condemned Kell and all who followed him, then so be it. If the galaxy survived, then whatever fires the next world held for him would be a small enough price to pay.

***

Liana could not say how long it was before her comlink sounded. "Captain," Renn's voice came over the comm, "Gat says we're almost there."

"On my way," she said. She rose from her bunk, where she'd been resting.

She found all three of her crewmates waiting for her by the Wanderer's exit ramp. "You three do not have to come. I am just going to talk to the Trianii Rangers."

"I know," Renn said. "But we all discussed it, and we want to be there, just in case."

"Thank you. All of you," Liana said.

They arrived together on the bridge of the Phoenix. Cait was sitting in her command chair. Meena stood nearby, trying to stay out of the way.

Liana nodded to Cait as she came to stand near the Mandalorian leader.

The Phoenix reverted to normal space after a few more minutes.

The atmosphere on the bridge was tense, as they were all anticipating what might happen as they entered Trianii space.

"Two contacts approaching," someone said from the front of the bridge.

A communications tech spoke up next. "They're hailing us, Commander," he said.

"If they are talking, they will give us a chance to speak first before they shoot," Liana said.

Cait nodded. "Let's hear it."

After a moment, a male Trianii voice sounded over the comm system, speaking Basic with a heavy accent, much as Liana herself did. "Mandalorian ship, you have entered Trianii space. You will correct your course, or we will open fire."

"Let the Captain talk to them, Boomer," Cait said to her comm officer.

"Channel's open."

Liana stepped forward. "I am Liana, formerly of Ekibo colony. These are my allies. I seek an audience with the _yu'nar_ of Ekibo."

The viewscreen resolved into an image of the Trianii Ranger officer. Liana did not know him; that would have been too easy, of course. He was far too young to have served when she was still with the Rangers. "Allies?! These are Mandalorians!" he said. "They are not allies. They are invaders!"

"They," Liana said, her tail lashing, "are the allies of my family. You _will_ treat them with respect, Ranger. Further, you _will_ relay my request for an audience to the _yu'nar_ of Ekibo, as is my right."

The Ranger sneered. "Likewise, you _will_ hold position until we hear back from the _yu'nar_ of Ekibo and you _will_ abide by their decision."

"I never said otherwise."

"Stand by... Mandalorian ship." They cut the comm.

For long moments, there was no response.

"Perhaps they are conferring with a higher authority?" Aeron asked.

"Or waiting for reinforcements to get here," Gat said. "Two of those ships the Rangers are flying aren't much of a threat. Four would be serious trouble, though."

At the comm station, Boomer said, "They're back. On screen."

The screen resolved into the Ranger once more. He looked utterly deflated. "We will escort you to Ekibo." Then he leaned in and glared at them. "If you deviate from the course provided, we will give you _one_ warning. If you do not correct your course after that warning, we will not hesitate to destroy you. You _will_ acknowledge."

"Acknowledged," Liana said, and the screen went black again. She let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding.

"Navigation," Cait said from her command chair. "Allow the Ranger ships to assume formation with us. Set and engage the course they send and engage on their order. Tactical, maintain battle stations. Keep the ship at yellow alert."

Liana turned sharply toward her.

Cait met her gaze without expression. "We're taking our fingers off the triggers, but we're staying ready. You saw that Ranger. He's just looking for an excuse. I will not hand him one, but I'll be damned if we'll be caught with our britches down."

"Fair enough," Liana said after a moment. "It will likely take us some time at sublight speed to reach Ekibo."

"How long is 'some time'?" Kara asked.

Liana shrugged. "A week, perhaps two, depending on the course they set for us."

"Great, enforced downtime," Renn said in his trademark monotone.

"That being the case," Aeron said. "I believe I shall go stretch my legs."

"Yes, we should get out of Commander Rook's way," Liana said.

"Liana," Cait said, rolling her eyes, "we got drunk together. I think that entitles you to first-name basis. Now get out, the lot of you. We'll call if something happens."

***

Meena had been trying to stay out of the way on the Phoenix's bridge. She wasn't really sure what she was doing there, to be honest. Mostly being ignored as she hung around behind Cait's chair. There was still quite a lot of tension in the air, even a couple of hours after the confrontation with the Trianii Rangers. The bridge crew seemed like they were all on edge.

She started as Cait suddenly rose from her chair. "That's it. The bridge is yours, Sallis. I need to go punch something." Cait caught sight of her hovering nearby, then nodded. "Meena, I owe you a lesson. Come on."

Meena blinked and trailed after her, confused but curious. Cait led her to a large room. It was clearly where the Mandalorian warriors worked out. Practice mats and pads lined the floor, and there were some punching bags and training dummies along one wall.

"You wanted me to teach you to fight, yes?" Cait motioned toward some storage units in one corner of the room. "Why don't you get changed first? There's some practice gear in there."

Meena went over to the lockers and checked inside. Someone seemed to have organized the simple workout clothes by size. They were all otherwise identical in color and cut. She found the smallest one. It was still a little big for her, but not outlandishly so. She quickly got changed, setting the clothes she'd borrowed from Cait aside on a bench by the lockers. She was really going to have to do something about her clothing situation at some point.

Cait, still in her full armor minus her helmet, began a stretching routine. "I suppose the first thing to do is watch you beat the crap out of one of the training dummies. Just so I can evaluate your — ahem — form."

Meena looked around at the empty practice room. "I don't really know what I'm doing. Ori taught me how to get away from someone who grabbed me and stuff like that...." She clasped her hands in front of her, nervous.

"All right then," Cait hit a button on her wristcom. "Lodus, you doing anything important at the moment?"

"You're kidding, right?" he said. "I'm still assigned guard duty by the main hatch." He paused for a long moment. "Shock, no one's tried to come aboard or leave without authorization in the last thirty ticks. Side effect of being, you know, _in space."_

"Great," Cait said with an eye roll. "Get to the gym on the double. We need a training dummy."

"Um, all right. On my way. Lodus out." The signal cut off.

Meena stared at Cait. "Isn't he the one who grabbed me and insulted me?" she asked.

Cait nodded. "That's why he was on guard duty. Punishment for being rude."

"That was more than just rude," Meena said. "What he called me was incredibly insulting."

Cait's eyes flashed with mischief. "And now, you get to beat him up. It's a win-win."

"But he's twice my size, at least, isn't he?"

"Which is why he's perfect. Learn on someone bigger and stronger than you, because, babe, I gotta tell you, most of the galaxy is. Even to me."

Meena flushed and looked down at her hands again, not sure how to respond.

The door opened and Lodus entered. He was even bigger than Meena remembered. "Reporting as ordered. What do you want me to do?"

"Our dear friend, Miss Lanu, has expressed interest in learning our ways of combat. Let's start with hand-to-hand, no weapons."

Lodus cocked his helmeted head in confusion. "How far do you want me to take this?"

"She wants to learn the Clan Rook method of combat. Treat her like it's her first day. I will keep a close eye on things."

"What should I do?" Meena said, in a bit of a panic as the immense warrior slowly closed with her.

"How would you deal with him in real combat?" Cait asked as Meena began to give ground.

"Get you to lend me a blaster?" she asked. Lodus lunged and nearly caught her as she dropped and rolled out of the way.

"Excellent! But no weapons, Meena, just you."

"I told you I don't know how to do this!" she said as Lodus made another grab for her.

"You knew how to defeat a Jedi with a single kick. Don't think, Meena, just do. Look at Lodus. Look how he moves. Move with him. Find your moment."

Meena danced back out of the way of his grabbing arms. She was starting to have second thoughts about this.

She frantically tried to remember everything Ori had taught her about how to protect herself. There was the trick she'd used on the Rodian that time in the warehouse, but she didn't think that would work. She didn't think a kick to the back would do much damage to anything but her foot, considering Lodus' armor.

Lodus came after her one more time. She rolled to the right side this time, and came up quickly. She kicked him in the side of the knee, where there was a gap in the armor to allow movement.

Lodus went down in a heap and Meena leapt clear of his flailing arms and legs.

_"Yes!"_ Cait said. "Use what you've got! Rule number one. Lodus is stronger, larger, and better equipped than you are. But what do you have that he doesn't?"

"Um... I'm faster?" Meena asked.

"Yes! And?"

Meena was distracted by Lodus climbing back up to his feet. "More flexible, since I'm not wearing armor...?" She backed further away from the huge warrior as he stood again.

"Yes! Never forget that armor means encumbrance. You can't add weight and stopping power without slowing down. Another thing you've got that you might not be thinking about is accuracy. Don't be afraid to aim for small targets. Aim small, miss small."

Meena nodded. She hung back, just in case Lodus made a move toward her again. She wasn't sure if the lesson was over, and with his helmet on, the man was unreadable, so she didn't dare take her eyes off of him.

Which was good, because he suddenly charged her, flat out. His center of gravity was low, and his arms swing wide, like some demonic bird.

Meena leapt out of his path, moving as fast as she could to the right side.

Lodus matched her as best he could. He couldn't turn fast enough, but his outstretched arms came into play. He planted one meaty paw directly on the center of Meena's ribcage and shoved.

Already in motion, Meena lost her balance and tumbled over. Just like falling in dance practice, she had to get up fast. She rolled away and came up to her feet.

Only to be bowled over by Lodus. He hadn't bothered to rise, and dove for her legs. They went down again in a tumble.

"Hold!" Cait said, and Lodus instantly rolled off of Meena. Before Meena had her breath back, Cait asked, "So, what did you do wrong?"

Meena gasped for air for a moment. She had gone down hard, because she wasn't expecting it. "I didn't get far enough away?" she asked.

"Nope," Lodus said. "You did the same thing twice in a row."

Cait nodded. "Don't tip your hand to your opponent. Never repeat moves. Now, up. Do it again."

"Again?" Meena asked, as she slowly climbed to her feet. She had wanted this, right?

Cait held up a hand and Lodus froze. "Study his stance, before he moves. Once he moves, it's probably too late. Which leg is bearing the most of his weight? That's the direction he's going to lunge from. Where's his center of gravity? Lower is faster. Which hand moves first? It's probably the one he'll strike with."

She smiled. "Make your notes _before_ he takes his step. After that, don't think, just react."

Meena nodded and focused her attention on Lodus, studying him the way Cait instructed.

Cait lowered her hand.

Lodus charged at Meena again, the same way he just had. She waited for his weight to come down on his right leg, and then dodged to his left side, dancing around behind him. Without thinking, she aimed a kick. But because he was crouched so low, her kick hit him in the backside, and his momentum carried him forward, face first into the mat.

Immediately, she put her hands to her mouth. "Oops."

Cait cheered.

Lodus, when he scampered back up, threw both fists in the air. _"Yes!"_

"Some say that's a dishonorable tactic," Cait said. "I say that's crap. Hit 'em where you can, when you can. That's rule two."

"Are you sure...?" Meena asked, hoping she hadn't stepped over any lines.

"If she ain't, I am!" Lodus said. "I left my rear unguarded and you hit me right at the point of greatest effect. Good show, girl! Good show!"

They continued like that for a couple of hours. After several dozen more passes, Meena was panting like a bellows and Lodus wasn't much better off. He'd discarded his helmet after the first hour and was sporting a black eye where Meena had landed a solid punch... after which he'd promptly swept her up in a gleeful hug.

Meena herself had a few spots that were going to hurt in the morning, and one heck of a bruise on her right cheek from one time she hadn't been as nimble as needed. When Cait eventually called time, Meena fell to her knees, gasping.

Cait brought drink bulbs filled with water and a vitamin tab for each of them. "Well done, the pair of you. Lodus, what do you think of our raw recruit here?"

Lodus took a long pull on his bulb and crunched down the vitamin tab while he thought about it. "I've seen worse day-one students. She's got an eye for the basics. Next time, I'll play defense and she can charge _me."_

Before Meena could react, Cait said, "Sounds like a plan. Consider yourself off guard duty, Lodus. Now go shower. You stink."

"Hey, I earned that stench. I've seen speeder bikes slower than our little _akaanir'a_ fwit here."

"What'd you call me!?" Meena asked, and both Cait and Lodus laughed.

"A fwit," Cait said, "is a small, furry hunting animal from the planet Maridun. _Akaanir'a_ means fighter.

Lodus nodded. "I figured _akaanir'a_ fwit sounded better than fighting fwit."

Meena couldn't help it. She started giggling.

Lodus left to go shower. Meena went to grab her borrowed clothes, then looked down at herself. "I could use a shower, too, to be honest," she said.

"There's a loaded invitation if ever I heard one," Cait said with a wicked smirk. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask.... What do you do to stay in such amazing shape? If there's a spot of extraneous fat on you, I'll eat my beskar."

Meena felt her cheeks warm again. "I'm a dancer. Or at least, I was."

Cait raised an eyebrow.

"Not that kind of dancer," Meena said. "I was with a theater troupe for awhile."

"But not now? Damn. Wish I could have seen you perform."

"I kind of left in a hurry. They didn't appreciate it. It's part of how I ended up here." Meena suddenly realized, in the whirlwind of everything else going on, she hadn't really danced since she'd left her mother's apartment on Nal Yeshu. She hadn't had much opportunity. She rubbed at her shoulder. "I can... if you want me to dance for you sometime... I mean, not now... I'm too sore and tired and out of practice right now."

"Aww, you put in a hard day. I think I owe you a good rub down."

Meena grinned. "And you said the _shower_ comment was loaded...."


	3. Maintenance

Renn took the opportunity of their enforced downtime to do some maintenance on B4. He sat on a bench with the dining table at his back, the droid powered down in front of him. Kara sat on the bench next to him, reading something on the little datapad he'd fixed up for her.

His toolbox was sitting between them on the bench. She reached down and picked up a spanner, the exact tool he needed, without even looking up from what she was reading, and held it out to him. He couldn't help but chuckle as he took it from her. She finally looked up and smiled at him.

She was doing better today. Kara seemed more herself this morning than she had since Castell. Maybe it was the fact that Aeron was awake again, and they were all out of immediate danger for right now. Whatever it was, he was glad for it. He'd missed that smile.

"Hel-lo!" Meena called from the Wanderer's entrance hatch. "I thought I'd come check up on you guys."

Renn looked up from his work. When he noticed the bruise on Meena's cheek, his greeting died on his lips. "What the _hell_ happened to you?" he asked instead, the droid momentarily forgotten. Kara stared at her, too, eyes wide.

"Oh." Meena reached up and touched her cheek, as if she'd forgotten about the injury. "It was just an accident."

Renn's eyes narrowed. Accidents didn't cause bruises like that. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Rennie. What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He hesitated. "Meena, are you sure about what you're doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not... being pressured into anything? Or... coerced?" he asked, choosing his words carefully.

Meena glared at him, eyes flashing with offended anger as she suddenly got what he was implying. "Of course not!" she said. "Cait wouldn't do that to me!"

"I have to ask when my friend shows up with a bruise on her face," Renn said. "I don't want you to get in over your head, and I'm sure as hell _not_ letting someone hurt you." He pointed to her cheek. "That was not an accident. Someone hit you."

Meena glowered at him. "Rennie, I know you're just looking out for me. I get it. But please trust me. Trust my judgment. I know what I'm doing." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I asked Cait to teach me to fight, so I can protect myself and not be a burden on all of you anymore. That's how this happened, during training yesterday. No one is hurting me like you're thinking, or forcing me to do anything I don't want to. I promise."

Renn traded a quick look with Kara. She nodded at him. Meena was telling the truth about that. "You know you're not a burden on us, Meena," he said. "You're our friend."

Kara smiled at her. "I told you so."

Meena smiled back.

Renn wondered what that was all about. "So... you and Cait, huh, Meenie?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't tease me," she said.

He chuckled. "That's not a denial."

"No, it isn't." Meena didn't look away. He was a little taken aback by that reaction. That was different.

Kara stood then. "Sorry, I'll be right back," she said to Meena. Then she laid a hand on Renn's shoulder, and their eyes met. He nodded, understanding instantly. She wanted to give him a chance to talk alone with his friend. She squeezed his shoulder before she let go and left the room.

He turned back to find Meena staring at him. "Okay... I didn't get a chance to ask this earlier, but... what is going _on_ with you two?" She sat down on the bench Kara had just vacated a moment ago.

Renn smirked. "Do I really need to explain that, Meena?"

"Not that!" She reached over and smacked him in the arm. "I mean... It's like... you're completely in sync with each other or something. I can see it sometimes when you're together, but I can't figure it out."

"It's... complicated, and I don't entirely understand the whole thing myself."

"What do you mean?"

He was going to have to edit this down. He was pretty sure Kara wouldn't want him to tell Meena the whole story about the Silence. "The short version is, Kara had to... use the Force to save my life last year, when we first met. According to Aeron, that left us Force-bonded to each other. Like, we can feel each other's thoughts and emotions sometimes, stuff like that. If you want the details, he can probably explain it better than I can."

"Oh. Oh, wow," Meena said, with a soft smile. "That's... really romantic, actually...."

Renn snorted. "It's more like the cause of every stupid fight we've ever had. It's inconvenient a lot of the time, and I can't lie worth a damn to her about anything anymore. But sometimes it has its perks." Like right now, he could feel Kara's presence nearby, even though she'd left the room, a constant low buzz of warmth and reassurance in the back of his mind.

His friend's eyes glinted mischievously. "I bet it does," Meena said, grinning.

"Wow, you have a really dirty mind, Meenie." He grinned back. "Although, yeah, that part's real nice, too."

"No wonder you two are so perfect for each other," she said with a giggle. "It's like something from a holodrama. Like it's destiny that you two are together! You're soulmates! That's so sweet!"

Renn shook his head. "You watch too many silly holodramas," he said, dismissing her words. Something about that nagged at him, though. Destiny, really? No, he didn't believe in that kind of thing. Besides... it wasn't just the bond that had brought them together.

Was it?

"Rennie?" Meena asked. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. I'm fine." He shook himself out of that line of thought. No, that was ridiculous.

"You don't look fine."

"The truth is... Meena, I'm worried about Kara. She's doing a lot better today, but she's been really depressed since Castell." Not that he could explain Kara's suspicions to Meena; that wasn't his story to tell. "Not all the time. It comes and goes. But-" He hesitated before continuing. He wasn't sure if he should be telling Meena this at all, but he had to get it off his own chest. "She felt it, when all those people died, and it really got to her."

"Like... through the Force, you mean?"

"Yeah. I can tell she's still hurting, and I don't know what I can do to help except be there when she needs me."

"Hmm." Meena looked thoughtful. "I think that's all you can do," she said after a moment. "Just make sure she knows you're there for her?"

He nodded.

Footsteps from the far end of the main corridor signaled Aeron's arrival. He'd been sleeping, or meditating, or whatever he did in his new room when he was alone. Renn didn't like to think too much about that, actually.

"Ah, Meena. Good morn- what the blazes happened to you?!"

Meena giggled. "You should see the other guy."

Aeron raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Good for you. Care to regale us with tales of your exploits?"

"There's not really much to tell," she said. "I asked Cait to teach me to fight. She had me train with one of her men. I'm pretty sure he went easy on me, but I'm still learning." She shrugged.

"Cute little Meenie taking down full-grown Mandos unarmed," Renn said.

"Stop calling me that!" Meena said.

Renn smirked. "Sure, if you stop calling me 'Rennie'."

She made a face at him.

"Stop being mean," Aeron said, "Rennie."

Meena laughed, and Renn shot the Jedi a glare.

Aeron beamed at him. "I believe I shall spare our stores and go find food aboard the Phoenix." He turned and gave Meena a formal bow. "Milady Meena, have you perchance broken your fast yet this morning?"

"No," she said. "I came to see how you guys were doing, and I kind of got sidetracked."

He offered her his elbow. "Then, shall we dine together?"

Meena responded to the faux formality with a deep curtsey. "As you please, Master Jedi." She took his elbow and they turned to head out.

As Renn rolled his eyes, Meena turned to stick her tongue out at him playfully over Aeron's shoulder.

Renn grumbled and went back to his interrupted work.

***

Several days later, the buzzing hum of lightsabers filled the Wanderer's cargo bay.

Deep in the Music, Kara swung and whirled, lightsabers lit and flashing. There'd been no chance to work out since they'd left for Castell... How long ago had that been? She'd lost track.

The days of enforced inactivity finally caught up to her. She found herself getting twitchy, tense. Downright irritable even. This morning was better, calmer. But by lunchtime, she was ready to bounce off the walls.

So she'd changed into her workout attire, and claimed the Wanderer's nearly empty cargo bay for her own. A double session of warm-up stretches complete, and soon she was dancing in the Music.

At some point, she came out of the nearly meditative trance she'd fallen into to see Aeron watching her from the hatchway. "Wanna join in?" she asked. "Maybe spar?"

He held up a regretful hand. "Can't. One of the less important casualties of Castell seems to have been my lightsaber. No one aboard the Phoenix knows where it is. We must have left it behind."

Kara stopped, and closed down her twin blades. She offered one to Aeron. "Want a loaner?"

"No, thank you. Perhaps... perhaps it is better this way."

"How so?" she asked, wiping the sweat from her face with a towel.

Aeron sighed. "Truthfully, I was never that comfortable with the aggressive aspects of being a Jedi. I guess I've always been more scholar than warrior. This may be the Force's way of giving me permission to retire from the field, as it were."

"I don't know about that," Kara said. "I know you have to be in pain.... Your Song is positively traumatic. I wish I knew how to help you."

"Trust the Force, Kara," Aeron said. "Listen to it, and it will bring you what you need, even if it isn't always what you want."

"Like missing lightsabers?"

He laughed. "Yes, or Renn and Liana crashing onto the Dragon in the most improbable rescue. Or Meena and Ori finding this ship just after it touched down on Nal Yeshu. Or the one man who could get you three onto Castell to help us just happening to walk into Ori's bar...."

Kara nodded. Renn would call it luck, but no one in the universe could be as lucky as this crew had been over their adventures.

"Even when you don't realize it," Aeron said, as if he'd known her thoughts, "the Force is reaching through us. Binding us together. Like you and Renn. When you first came on board, you both...."

"Hated each other?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd not go that far. But you were at least antagonistic. And yet now...."

Kara paused. It sounded like Aeron was implying the Force had brought her and Renn together.

"Never mind me," Aeron said, waving his hand in dismissal of his own words. "I'm becoming maudlin. I think I'll just retire to my room and meditate for a while." He nodded to her and left.

Kara stood there for a full minute, towel wrapped behind her neck, before she could shake off the implications. Aeron was right. He _had_ become somewhat morose of late, not that she blamed him. He was at a crossroads; she didn't need the Music to know that.

She hooked her lightsabers to her weapons belt and went in search of Renn.

She found her lover at his computer station in the cockpit. He was apparently deep in concentration on whatever he was working on, focused on his displays. He had a dizzying array of information across the multiple screens in front of him. He didn't even look up when she entered the room.

When he paused in his work to pinch the bridge of his nose, Kara took the opportunity to step up behind his chair and begin rubbing his shoulders.

"Mmmm... hey." He leaned back into her touch. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"My fault," she said. "I'm not wearing my bells."

He laughed, but it turned into a soft groan of pleasure as her fingers found a particularly tense knot of muscles where his left shoulder and neck met. He closed his eyes. "That's _really_ nice."

She chuckled warmly. She liked that sound. "All part of the service," she said, close to his ear. "What are you working on so diligently, instead of showering with me?"

"Just some groundwork for the IDs I need to set up," he said. "Research, mostly."

And reality threw a bucket of ice water in Kara's face.... "Oh," she said, stopping her work on Renn's shoulders.

He opened his eyes again and turned his head to look at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She tried to sound solid, but she knew she wasn't. "I mean, mostly. I just-" Words failed her and she took her hands away from Renn's dreamy shoulders lest the frustration leave marks.

"I know your name is really important to you," he said, "but... this is only a temporary thing. Just in case we need to run."

"Just because it's necessary doesn't mean I have to like it," she snapped.

Renn rolled his eyes. "Fine. Excuse me for trying to be sympathetic."

She held up a hand. "Wait, no. You're right. I know you're right. Look... I'm just upset, and angry. It's like this is something else the damn...." She trailed off and just stood there, looking down at her feet. "My name is the last part of my parents I had, and now this chaos we're bound up in has found a way to take that from me, too. I know it's temporary, and I know I'm being stupid, but I just can't help it."

He rose from his chair and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, listen to me, farm girl. No one can take who you are away from you. Names are just names."

Kara shook her head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, spacer boy. I really do. But you just don't get it. Worse, I don't even think I can explain it." She gave him a wan smile. "It's a backcountry farm girl thing."

"I guess so," he said. "If you really don't want to, I can try to figure something else out."

"No, it has to be done... do it." She laid a hand affectionately on his cheek. "Thanks for understanding my pigheadedness at least."

"I'm used to it." He kissed her, then pulled away a little. "You're all sweaty. Why don't we go take that shower you mentioned?" Then he smirked. "I'll wash your back if you want."

"And they say romance is dead...."

***

Later that evening, clean and presentable, Kara stepped into the _mirshko yamika_ to find Cait, Meena and Liana already there and sitting around one of the tables. They had a bottle they were passing around. Kara stepped to the bar and fixed herself a mug of something Gat had called "hot chocolate" instead, since she didn't feel like waking up with a hangover tomorrow.

Cait had sent them all comlink messages a few hours ago, asking if they wanted to get together after the dinner hour and just chat. She'd said Renn and Aeron were invited as well, but warned that it would be mostly 'girl talk'. They'd both politely declined.

Well, Aeron had. Renn had rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, I should finish fine-tuning the engines and shield emitters anyway."

"Aww," Meena said, eyeing Kara's mug as she came and sat down on the open side of the table. "You're no fun."

Kara made a face at the Twi'lek girl, then turned to Cait. "So, what was on your mind?"

Cait, who had doffed her helmet but still wore full armor, sat back and filled a glass from the bottle the trio had been passing around. "Not much, just that this might be the last quiet time we get for a while. Thought I'd like to just hang out and get to know you all better."

Meena eyed Cait and stifled a giggle.

Liana looked at her. "How much of that have you had already?" she asked. That only made the Twi'lek girl start laughing for real.

"I think," Kara said, "that we might want to cut her off for a while."

"Hey! I've only had... not that much!"

Cait's wristcom buzzed, and she answered it. "Yes?"

It was Sallis. "Sorry to bother you. We just received a recorded comm signal from Concord Dawn."

Cait sighed. "Right, on my way, Sallis." She cut the comm. "I need to go, at least for a while. Hopefully I can get back here soon." She rose. "Please, continue." And with that, she left.

Meena watched her go, a worried look on her face.

"Is everything all right?" Liana asked.

Meena turned back to them. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry."

"No, it's not all right," Kara said in concern. "What's wrong, Meena?"

Meena glanced at Liana, eyes full of uncertainty.

Liana's tail twitched in irritation, the Trianii eye roll again. "If it's about you and Cait, I already know that you two are having sex," she said.

"What-? How-?" Meena spluttered.

"It's fairly obvious," Liana said. "I have eyes. And a nose."

"Oh." Meena looked down at her glass, her cheeks bright purple-pink. "I..." Her voice was very soft when she said finally said, "I think... I think I might be falling for her."

Kara understood the expression. Sometimes her feelings for Renn were like falling into a long dark tunnel, and she had no idea where it would end, but she knew she wanted to keep falling however long it lasted. Meena, however, seemed unsure about things. "And this is... bad?"

Meena sighed. "I thought I was fine with just... I don't know, being friends who sleep together. But... I really don't know what I want anymore."

"Did Cait say that was what she wanted?" Kara asked. "Because, honestly, it looks like you two are way more than just friends."

Meena blinked at her. "She said she wasn't looking for a relationship..."

"But... you two _have_ a relationship," Liana said. "Perhaps not a formal romance, but a relationship nonetheless."

"So," Kara asked, "how did Cait _phrase_ it when she told you that, Meena?"

Meena looked like she was trying to remember. "Cait said... she wouldn't ask anything of me," she said. "But she also said it was very important to her."

"So that sounds like the one who doesn't want a lasting relationship is you," Kara said with a smile.

"Oh." Meena's tone was thoughtful. "Kara, how did you know you were in love with Rennie?"

Liana made a noise somewhere between a snort and a snicker.

Kara turned a level gaze on her Captain. "What is so amusing?"

Liana bared her teeth in a smile. "Well, I cannot speak for Aeron, but I am fairly certain everyone else on the ship knew before you did."

"Liana, other than Renn and I, who don't count for this, you and Aeron _are_ the only other people on the ship," Kara said and went back to her mug of chocolate.

Liana took a sip of her drink. "T5 called it long before you said anything."

"What?!" Kara said. "Why, that squat little murderbot! I talked to him in confidence!"

Meena giggled. "I could tell, too, when I first saw you together on Novus Station. And you're avoiding my question."

Kara sighed. "The truth is, I'm not sure when I realized it. When I first met Renn he just... ground my gears, as B4 would put it. After a bit, it mellowed into friendship, but as for..." She paused. "You know what? I don't think I've ever told him..."

"I think he knows," Meena said, with a soft smile. "You should hear him when he talks about you." She giggled again. "You do love him, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Kara looked down into her now inaccurately named hot chocolate. "Why do you ask?" she said, trying to change the thrust of the conversation.

"I guess I was just wondering how you knew it was serious?" Meena asked. "How did you know he was the one?"

Kara almost made an offhand comment about it being Renn, Aeron or one of the droids... but she didn't think Meena needed a joke right now. Meena was trying to find her footing in what seemed to Kara an intensely tempestuous relationship. She took a sip of her cool chocolate.

"I think... Meena, if you're looking for honest help, I don't know how much we can give you. No one can tell you you're in love, not truthfully. Do you _think_ you are?"

"I'm not sure," Meena said. "I mean, it's only been... well, not very long." She laughed nervously. "It just feels like I've known her a lot longer. Forever." She sighed. "I guess I should probably just give it time, huh?"

Liana nodded. "Time and familiarity can change much in a relationship," she said. "Or at least, in one's perspective."

"Don't rush, Meena. Just enjoy the moments," Kara said, smiling into her mug. "Definitions will come in time."

"I suppose," Meena said. Then her eyes glinted with mischief and she looked across at Kara again. "So when are you and Rennie gonna get married?"

Kara almost spat chocolate right into Meena's face. "Wha- _what?!"_ she choked.

Meena's eyes widened and she scooted her chair away, a little closer to the empty one Cait had vacated earlier. "Um... haven't you thought about that?"

"I was wondering that myself," Liana said, eyeing Kara.

Kara went rigid. "Renn and me? Getting married?! Liana... do you you think that's really a good idea? I mean, I love the Wanderer. It's my home. But even if we _weren't_ hunted fugitives... it's no place to raise a child."

Both of the other women looked confused.

"No one said anything about children," Meena said, blinking at her.

"Is this a cultural difference, perhaps?" Liana asked. "Among my people, mates marry to confirm their bonds with one another."

Meena nodded in agreement.

Kara visibly relaxed. A cultural difference, yes.... She nodded. "Yes, I think you're right. Among my people, it's _very_ different. We get married only when we want to have children. It's not a bond between mates, but between families. The husband takes the surname and kin name of the wife, and the child takes the surname of the wife and the kin name of the husband."

At their blank looks, Kara used her own parents to explain. "My mother was Mairi Ni Vanden, and my father was Sten Tao Lukaa. When Mother became pregnant and they got married, he became Sten Ni Vanden and I was born Kara Tao Vanden."

Meena looked taken aback. "Oh. Yeah, that's really different from how it is most places, I think."

"Have you no formal bond between mates then?" Liana asked, curious.

"What could bind tighter than true love?" Kara asked in confusion. "Besides, such things are private matters, aren't they? I mean, do others go before some authority figure and ask if it's all right that they love the person they obviously do? What happens when that figure says no?"

"Well," Meena said, "kind of. I mean, most places it's more like a legal contract, I guess. And there's usually some sort of legal or religious ceremony involved."

Liana chuckled. "Perhaps your way is better," she said, putting a hand on Kara's arm. "It seems like it would lead to less bickering and anger." She took another long drink, finishing off her glass.

The door opened and Cait came back in, dropping into her vacated chair and kissing Meena's forehead on the way down. "So," she said, "what did I miss?"

***

While the girls were off doing whatever it was they were doing, Renn kept himself busy. With T5's help, he was in the Wanderer's engine room, tinkering with and fine-tuning the ship's systems, getting everything into top shape.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Liana to be able to get them through this. He did. It was more that being able to run in a damn hurry was a sensible precaution, especially with their new status as fugitives. There were probably bounties out on their heads again, too, which meant turning to any of his contacts for help was out of the question. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened last time, with Gaman. Or, worse, Naira.

With the engines and most systems powered down, the Wanderer was eerily quiet. So he heard the door to Aeron's room open quite clearly, and the Jedi padding down the hall in his soft boots.

"Ah," Aeron said, coming around the corner. "The ladies still aren't back yet, I assume?"

"Nope," Renn said. "Meena's there, so they'll probably be talking for hours. I don't think she knows _how_ to shut up."

"Oh, I don't know about that. She's a charming girl, isn't she?" He frowned. "Is everything all right, Renn?"

"Huh?" Renn looked up from what he was working on. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"You just seem... preoccupied isn't the right word, but focused. Like you're trying to distract yourself."

"Let's see, we're wanted fugitives, and currently at the mercy of people who would probably rather shoot us than help us," Renn said. "Why wouldn't I want to focus on something else?"

"Ah, good point," Aeron said. "At least it isn't relationship troubles. I'm not the one to ask about that, old boy."

Renn snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."

"In any event, I was going to the galley to make myself some tea. Can I get you anything?"

"I could probably use a break," Renn said. He stood up. "Maybe I'll come with you and get some caf or something." T5 beeped something from the corner. "Keep working on the calibrations," he said. "I'll be back in a little while." The answering beep sounded irritated.

The two left the engine room and headed into the main cabin toward the galley. Aeron took a seat at the table and motioned Renn to go first. "Go on. You've been working, you get first crack."

"Thanks." Renn made himself a cup of caf with the familiarity of long practice. When he was done, he brought it back over to the table and sat across from the Jedi.

Aeron rose and began making himself tea. "I've been meaning to ask," he said as he busied himself with the task. "Does anyone know what happened to my lightsaber? I assume it was lost on Castell, but if you know the story, I'd like to hear it."

"Actually," Renn said with a laugh, "I think T5 still has it." At Aeron's incredulous look, he explained. "Liana said she had to stash it somewhere when you were about to be captured, and she thought giving it to T5 to hold on to would be safest." He took a sip of his drink. "He had way too much fun with it during the jailbreak. I'm not sure he'll want to give it back to you. You might need Liana to order him to do it."

"He... used it?" Aeron blinked. "I am both gladdened and terrified. I think I'll wait till Liana gets back to try and recover it though. It's... safer, where it is."

"Probably a good idea," Renn said, smirking. "He took out a whole squad of Mandos almost by himself."

Aeron sighed sadly. "He's a better knight than I am."

Renn chuckled. "He's not a knight. He's just a vicious little murderbot."

Aeron sat down across from him. "But the droid _acted_ to save us. Me? I was... a burden. Beyond helpless, I endangered you all. I called myself a Jedi. What unabashed arrogance."

"It wasn't exactly your fault, you know. You were kind of out of it at the time from whatever they did to you."

"What they did to me," Aeron said with a snarl. "She tried to..." He set his mug down carefully. "Master Quinn was there, you know. On the ground. I didn't want to believe it was true. I wanted to believe it was some feverish dream vision. But no, she was there. She tortured me, Renn."

Aeron buried his face in his hands. "Imagine it. Someone I trusted for my whole life. Imagine if Liana suddenly decided to try and take you apart."

Renn looked down at his own mug, trying not to think too hard about that. "I figured it was something like that," he said. "I... if you need anything..." He trailed off. Not that he could really do much to help. But he wanted to offer, at least.

"Quinn wanted to know about Kara," Aeron said. "The bond, in particular. They told me... Quinn said the only reason that you tolerate a person like me is because of the bond I share with Kara and you."

Renn looked across at Aeron. "You know she was just trying to screw with your head," he said. "I mean, yeah, you're annoying sometimes, but we've kinda gotten used to you. You're one of us."

"I appreciate what you're saying, Renn, I really do." Aeron sighed, and sat up straighter. "But... do you know why I woke up? Because Kara reached into my mind and made me. She didn't even know she was doing it, but it happened..."

Aeron abruptly stood and began pacing. "My mind was... fragmented. I was lost in myriad thoughts and memories... I couldn't find the way out until she subconsciously reordered everything I am. With power like that, she could... she could do anything to me, and not even know it."

Renn stared at him a moment longer, then looked down. "She was probably just trying to help you."

"I have no doubt that she would try to help me. I don't know, maybe this is my fear running away with me... My point is, though, if I'm right, she wasn't even _aware_ that she'd changed me. Who knows what being bonded to such a powerful Force user could do to both of us long-term."

He stopped and turned to face Renn. "Please, don't tell Kara about any of this. It would just upset her to no purpose. For now... just let me go back to my meditations. If I discover an answer, I'll be sure to share it with you all."

"Right." Renn watched the Jedi leave the room. He wasn't sure what to think. He didn't want to believe what Aeron said, but... wasn't that almost exactly what Kara had done to him, when she'd saved him from the Silence? Reached into his mind and just done... whatever she needed to?

He wasn't a Jedi. He couldn't tell what she'd done to him, not really. What else might she have done, that he couldn't even sense or understand...?

"Damn it," he snarled under his breath, pushing himself up from the table. He discarded the rest of his cup of caf in the basin in the galley, then stalked back to the engine room. He had work to finish.

***

Several hours later, Kara and Liana made their way back aboard the Wanderer.

Having stuck mostly to non-alcoholic stuff all evening, Kara wasn't the worse off of the pair for a change. With one of her friend's arms across her shoulders, Kara helped Liana up the ramp into the ship. The whole time, Liana hummed tunelessly to herself. She wasn't really intoxicated, Kara thought, but she wouldn't have made it back under her own power, either.

That was all right, though. She was happy to take care of her Captain for a change.

They ran into T5 in the main hold. "You," Kara told the droid. "You and I are are going to have a chat tomorrow about gossiping."

T5 responded with a series of beeps that sounded very much like feigned innocence.

"Uh huh," Kara said. "Tomorrow, buddy. Tomorrow."

It took a bit of doing, but Kara got Liana maneuvered down the hall and into her room. Liana slid somewhat gracefully off her and onto her bunk, and Kara got her feet up and swung over. She'd never really realized how powerfully muscled Liana's legs were, but it made sense. She was a predator species after all.

"Kara?" Liana asked.

"Yes?"

"Thank you... the next few days are going to be difficult for me. I'm going to need to lean on all of you..."

Kara stroked Liana's mane, just like Liana herself would do whenever one of them needed reassurance. "Of course. We're all here for you. You've been there for us enough times. Now get some sleep, all right?"

But she was already out cold. Kara stood, and got a drink bulb of water for when Liana woke up and placed it on the shelf nearby. Then she quietly left.

Renn was already in bed when she came into their room. He lay on the far side of the bunk, facing the wall. That wasn't his usual spot, but maybe he just didn't want Kara to climb over him.

She got undressed and slipped under the sheets next to him, wrapping his shoulders in that awkward embrace of a couple laying down. She affectionately nuzzled the back of his neck. He stiffened and grumbled, pulling away from her a little.

That was really out of character. "Renn?" Kara asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Just tired."

The sharp dissonance of an untruth rang in the Music. "No," she said. "Something's really bothering you. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I really want to help."

"It's nothing," Renn growled.

"Renn, sweetie, I can tell it isn't nothing." A thought occurred to her. "Is it me? Did- did I do something wrong?"

"Damn it, stay out of my kriffing head!" He still wouldn't turn away from the wall, or look at her.

He may as well have plunged an ice dagger right into her heart. Kara carefully extricated herself from Renn and got out of bed. She felt waves of anger rolling off him, coupled with uncertainty and... grief. He was hurting, so much. She didn't need the bond to feel that, but her presence was making whatever it was worse.

She quietly got dressed again and left the room.

Kara stood stock still outside the door. She didn't know what to think, or what to feel. Turning slowly, she walked toward the main hold. Aeron was deep in meditation, she thought. The chaos that was his Song made it impossible to get a read on him. Liana was out cold and she didn't want to add to her friends' burdens in any event. Meena and Cait were, well, indisposed, she was sure.

She stood alone in the room that was the center of her home. Where could she go? Finally, she went into the medbay. There was a bed in there where she could at least sleep.

Kara had forgotten that B4's central charging unit was in the medbay, and the droid came alive as she entered. "Mistress Kara? Can I assist you with something?"

"Uh, no, B4. Sorry. I just need to sleep in here tonight."

The protocol droid cocked his head. "Oh? Is something wrong with your room?"

_Yeah, Renn's in there and he doesn't want anything to do with me. And I don't know why...._ She climbed onto the medical cot and curled up on her side, facing the wall. "Never mind, B4, just shut down or whatever. Let me sleep."

"Very well, Mistress Kara. Good night."

_Not really, no_ , she thought as she closed her eyes.


	4. Baggage

Jedi Padawan Yenaia Tran hunched her shoulders and pulled her hood up over her head.

The hood hid the scales and head tendrils that marked her as a Tholothian. With them out of sight, she could pass for a brown-skinned, blue-eyed human woman as she made her way into the streets of Muracie, the capital city of the planet Centares.

No, she wasn't important, just another refugee on a world full of people fleeing one crisis or another. Don't take notice of me, I'm nobody. If you notice me, you may figure out what I am. If you know that, then the broken Jedi will come and they will hurt you... Those were the lessons that had been drilled into Yenaia over and over again.

She sighed and trudged on. Since leaving Solara, Yenaia had seen more of the galaxy than she had ever expected to. She had learned so much, both good and bad, about what existed outside of the Jedi Academy. 

At first, she'd thought her mission last year was meant to be part of her Jedi trial. Why else would her Master have sent her to face it alone? She was trained in the healing disciplines of the Force, and she had a truly prodigious gift for it. Of course he would send her to aid those who were hurt in both body and mind, as a test of her abilities.

It had indeed been her final act as her Master's Padawan, but not at all in the way she'd expected.

She'd been deep within the Force that day, working to heal the victims of the groundquakes on Riflor, when she had felt it. Master D'Yarn's death, and with it, with the last of his power, a warning to her. He had been betrayed, and she would be in danger. 

The shock and terror pummeled her, but that tragedy had been followed a relative eyeblink later by the light.

She'd screamed herself raw then; both in her grief for her Master, and in ecstasy for that shining beacon of hope, the universe-filling pure light.

She couldn't go home again, not after her Master's warning. For the last year, she'd hidden in plain sight, traveling from place to place throughout the Mid and Outer Rim, searching for the source of that light.

It was a microscopic needle in a galaxy of haystacks, but Yenaia would never stop searching.

Only once she left Solara, did she slowly begin to realize how bad things truly were there. Being away from the Academy was like a breath of fresh air in her lungs. She knew now that the wrongness she'd felt in her fellow Jedi at the Academy was real, some indication of a... a sickness, a darkness she could not fully name. It left its victims broken shells of their former selves.

Yenaia shared her misgivings with Master D'Yarn once. Unlike some of the stricter Masters, he always encouraged her to speak her mind. She told him how she felt such wrongness in all the Masters, including him. The entire Council and all the Jedi, except for the very youngest of the Padawans, held traces of it. She'd even felt it trying to grow within herself, though it didn't find much purchase there.

Her words rattled him, and he began to meditate upon them almost immediately, seeking guidance from the Force. A few days after that, he sent her away. At the time, she was eager, wanting to prove herself and help the suffering. 

Looking back, she wondered if Master D'Yarn had been shielding her by putting her beyond the Council's reach. She couldn't say, and he was no longer there to grant her his wisdom.

She missed him terribly.

The news from the Senate over the last few weeks alarmed her. Reports of Masters Kell and Quinn taking positions of authority within the Republic government, going fundamentally against everything the Jedi taught. 

"We are keepers of the peace," Master D'Yarn had taught her as a child. "We are not soldiers. Do you understand the difference, young one?"

The Jedi were meant to work with governments but remain separate. It was all part of a whole, she thought, this sickness within the Jedi Order that had been festering for some time.

It was this sickness she intended to heal, any way that she could. And for that, she needed to find the light.

She searched on a dozen different worlds for something, anything that could point to that light. She'd found no trace of it anywhere since the day Master D'Yarn died. She meditated on it often, but the Force had, thus far, granted her no answers. 

Yenaia had arrived on Centares only a few weeks ago, after fleeing another pair of broken Jedi who'd come for her on Lantillies. She'd been able to sense them coming, detecting through the Force that "wrongness" in them that should not be there. She thought she'd evaded their notice completely, although she couldn't be sure. 

As she made her way through the city, keeping her hood up to disguise herself, a sudden feeling of alarm came over her, a warning in the Force. It wasn't the broken Jedi, this was something else. Her head snapped up, and she scanned the area around her.

A sudden crunching, shrieking sound tore down the alley next to her. People ran from it, but Yenaia didn't. Through the Force she felt the pain, the confused panic, and knew that was where she was needed most. 

She ran toward the sound.

It was a speeder accident a few blocks away. The passengers of the less damaged vehicle had only minor injuries, and moved away from the accident under their own power, but the other... the other speeder had been reduced to twisted metal. 

Closing her eyes, she focused in on the life signs. Three, weak, from somewhere within the wreckage.

Her eyes open again, Yenaia reached out with the Force and carefully moved aside pieces of the wreckage to reach those trapped beneath. Two adults and a child. She knelt and reached for the child first, laying her hands against his temples; his injuries were the most life-threatening, given his age. She needed to work quickly if she was going to save him.

She fell into something close to a trance as she worked within the Force, letting it flow through her into the child's body first, then into the adults. She would not be able to heal them completely, but she could at least stabilize their injuries, buying enough time for other help to arrive.

When she was done, when they were out of immediate danger, she sat back, sweat beading her brow beneath her headdress. A chill breeze sent fingers of dread down her spine. The hood of her robe had fallen back at some point. The people gathered around the crash could see her, and knew her to be a Jedi. She was exposed....

And in the next instant, she shoved the fear aside. Saving innocent lives was more important right now than hiding her identity. 

She reached out again with the Force to examine them one more time, to be sure. These people would still need medical attention, but no one would die here today. Satisfied, she withdrew. 

"Master Jedi?" Yenaia turned to look behind her. It was a child, a small human girl no more than ten years old. The girl shyly offered her a drink bulb of water, even as she stared somewhere past the Jedi. 

Yenaia traced the child's wide gaze to the wreckage. "They will live, don't worry." Then she smiled and touched the girl's head gently before taking the offered drink. "Thank you, I appreciate your care."

The little girl smiled and fled, presumably back to her parents.

Yenaia drank the cool water gratefully.

It was not until she tried to stand that she felt it. Something was wrong with her body. It would not obey her.

Instead of standing, she fell heavily onto her side. 

"She's fainted," someone shouted nearby. Yenaia felt hands grab her shoulders, and then she knew nothing else. 

***

Kisha was a good girl.

When the men in the emergency medtech uniforms had suggested that Kisha give the Jedi a drink bulb of water, she'd done it promptly. Her mommy always said good girls help when asked.

But then she saw the Jedi fall over, and she'd run back to her as the medtechs lifted her body. "Oh no! Is she all right?!" Kisha asked.

"Sure she is," one of the medtechs said. "She's just really tired, that's all." He reached into a pouch at his waist and produced a piece of hard sucking candy. "This is for you, for being such a good girl."

Kisha took it and beamed up at him. "I hope you sleep good, Master Jedi!" she said to the woman, then she skipped back to her parents again.

She totally missed the sight of the medtechs loading the Jedi into an unmarked lift van and speeding away as other ambulances converged on the accident.

***

Liana slept in the next morning, thanks to their late night chatting with Cait and Meena aboard the Phoenix. She came into the main hold to find Kara sitting alone, and no sign of either Renn or Aeron. That was unusual in and of itself. 

She watched the young woman a moment from the doorway. Kara poked listlessly at her food with no apparent interest in it. Liana didn't think Kara drank enough alcohol last night to have a hangover this morning. Something else was wrong.

Getting her morning caf, Liana asked, "Kara? Are you not feeling well this morning?"

The girl looked up from her cold food. "Good morning, Liana. Yeah, I'm fine, I guess."

Liana's eyes narrowed. She stopped and gave Kara a significant look. "You do not sound fine. What happened?"

Kara took her dishes and moved to the sink to wash them. "The thing is, I'm not really sure. I slept in the medbay last night because Renn is... in a mood."

"In a mood?" Liana tilted her head. "Did you have an argument?"

"Sort of. Last night when I got in, he was grumbling about something and wouldn't tell me why. When I told him I knew something was bothering him, he told me to get out of his head." She sighed and put the now clean dishes aside to dry. "Liana, I wasn't _in_ his head. He hasn't told me that since...." 

Liana's tail twitched and she felt the fur at the base of her neck ripple in irritation. Of all the times for them to have a spat. "Would you like me to speak to him? I can at least get to the bottom of this."

"Thanks, Liana, but no. He and I need to straighten it out ourselves. And I think I know where to begin...." She gave Liana's shoulder a grateful squeeze, and then climbed up the ladder from the main cabin into the dorsal gun turret.

_Did she just go talk to T5 instead of taking my help?_ Liana thought. Her tail lashed a little harder. 

She went off in search of Renn anyway. She _was_ going to find out what was going on, regardless of Kara's wishes. She had a feeling that her children were being stupid about something... again.

***

Lodus lay sprawled on the mat, his blank visor pointed at the the ceiling.

"Wow," Cait said. "You really clocked him one."

After breakfast, Cait had taken Meena to the gym for another lesson in Mandalorian combat. This time, Meena was the attacker and Lodus was defending. 

In a strange sense, this was easier. It built off the same skills, observing your opponent and reacting to what they did. But this time, Meena was the instigator. Her speed and agility gave her a tremendous advantage. She was literally running circles around him.

When he'd obviously grown tired of trying to snatch empty air, Lodus had growled something about Meena's professional skills giving her an unfair advantage. It was clear he didn't mean dancing.

Meena's mind went blank. On instinct, she rushed in beneath his guard and snapped her right fist up under the edge of his helmet, catching him right on the point of the chin. The huge man had raised up off his toes and fallen like a sack of bricks.

Meena glanced at Cait. Her lover was fighting a losing battle to not guffaw at Lodus laid out by a girl half his size. "So, now what?"

Cait finally got her laughter under control. "Slide his helmet off," she said before retreating to the changing area. 

Meena bent and did so. The man was unconscious, with his eyes crossed and half rolled up into his head.

Cait returned with a bucket of water and poured it unceremoniously right into his face. Lodus came up spluttering.

"Morning, sunshine." Cait laughed. "Do you know where you are?"

Lodus exploded off his back and to his feet, catching Meena up in a comradely bear hug before she could escape it. "Nice hit!" he roared. "Solid! How long was I out?"

Meena went rigid. "Not long enough," she muttered. Her hand was sore. That had been a really hard hit.

After a moment, Cait cleared her throat. "Um, Lodus?"

"Yeah?"

"Put the student down." 

"Oh!" He laughed and released Meena. "Sorry about that. I'm just really proud of how far you've come and how fast you got here."

Meena glared at him, fists on hips. "Do you not understand that I am furious right now?!"

If she'd jabbed him with a stun stick on full power, he wouldn't have recoiled further. "Wha-? Why? What did I do?"

"What did you do?!" Meena asked. "You insulted me! It's okay if you don't think much of me, I don't care, but- but- you don't say things like that!" 

Her eyes flicked to Cait, uncertain, and then back to him. "Imagine if someone called you a- a coward! It's that bad!" She bit her lip. She wasn't sure if that was crossing the line, but it was the best analogy she could come up with.

Lodus stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision. He turned to Cait and bowed low. "Commander, I beg leave to discuss matters in private with your... very good friend." He was obviously at a loss for what to call Meena. "There is a blot upon my honor that cannot be rectified otherwise."

Meena blinked. She'd have bet even money that Lodus didn't know what 'rectified' meant.

Cait gave Meena a very pleased smile, nodded to Lodus, and withdrew from the room.

"Miss Meena," Lodus said, "I don't know if you're aware of this or not. But we — Mandalorians, that is — we don't apologize in words. For small misdeeds and the like, we will apologize with our actions, but we believe your soul is in your breath, and therefore in your words. Do you understand?"

Meena nodded. "Sort of."

"Good. What I'm about to do, if I did it in Cait's presence, would place conditions upon her that I would rather she not have to deal with. She's got way too much on her plate right now." He sank down to his knees and leaned far forward, nearly brushing the floor with his forehead.

"I am sorry. For both my ignorance and my offense. If someone had called me a coward, they wouldn't be breathing a moment later. I gave you such an offense, twice. So I gotta balance the scales. I offer you my words, part of my soul. Do with them as you will."

Meena blinked in shock. "I- I didn't- I just got so angry. I should be used to people saying things like that about me, though." She looked down at her hands, clasped in front of her, her earlier anger all but drained away at how contrite he was. "It's okay, really. You can get up."

He rose to his feet. "Why do you say people think so little of you?" he asked.

"I'm used to it." She shrugged. "I mean, no one else on the Phoenix really tries to talk to me except Cait and Gat."

"Look, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but everyone on the ship... all of us? We'd go through fire, hell and death for Cait. We don't follow her out of duty, but out of loyalty. Seeing the change in her...." He laughed. "You work miracles, Meena. Absolute miracles. Don't let nobody tell you different."

Meena looked up at him, startled. "What?" She could feel her cheeks heating up again. 

"Cait used to walk around like the weight of the galaxy was on her shoulders. I've known her for her entire life. I've seen her smile more since she met you than in the entire last decade. Miracles, Meena. Don't sell yourself short. We all think the world of you."

She gaped at him. She hadn't realized... did everyone on the Phoenix really think that? About her? How?

Cait came back in a moment later. "You two were really quiet. Everything all right?"

"Sure, Commander," Lodus said at once, working his jaw around and looking at their feet. "Has anyone seen a tooth?" 

***

Liana found Renn alone in the cockpit, hiding at his computer terminal. She closed and locked the door behind her. "You will explain to me what is going on. Now."

Renn jumped. "Huh? What?"

Her tail lashed as she came to stand over him. "You and Kara are both moping around. Explain."

Renn looked away. "It's nothing."

"It is certainly not nothing," Liana said, storming over to her own station. "There is too much tension in the air aboard this ship. I do not need the two of you biting at each other. Not now."

"It's none of your business-" 

She'd had enough, and she was tired of this nonsense. Liana leaned over the consoles between their stations and gave him her toothiest glower, a handspan from his face. "It is my business when it affects this crew and our chances of survival!"

At Renn's look of wide-eyed fear, her voice softened. She straightened up. "Renn, please. You are both very obviously in pain. At least tell me what has happened between you."

"I-" He crossed his arms and slid down in his chair. "Aeron said something that keeps jabbing at me." 

She sat down. "What did he say?"

Renn hesitated. "He said Kara was the one who woke him from his coma, or whatever it was. That she went into his mind and changed him when she pulled him out of it." He glanced away. "And he said that our bond might let her... I don't know, change both of us."

Liana tilted her head. "You think she has done this to you?"

"I don't know! Not intentionally. But I know she did something to me when...." His voice trailed off, but Liana understood. She had been there when Kara had driven the Silence out of her partner. 

"Do you really believe this of her? Do you really think she would... manipulate you like that?"

"I don't know what to believe, Liana. I'm no kriffing Jedi. I can't tell what she might have done to me, not like Aeron can. For all I know, maybe she... maybe the bond is the only reason we're together at all."

"Renn," Liana snapped and locked eyes with her partner. "Forget the 'maybes'. Forget what you cannot see. Consider only the things you _know."_

"What do you mean?"

"We speak loudest through our actions. Think of what Kara _has done,_ not what she might have done." Liana counted on her fingers. "She saved you from the Silence on Derra IV. She helped rescue you on Nal Yeshu. She helped us infiltrate the Tower. She did these things for _you,_ Renn. Just as you helped save her from the Sith and stood by her in her time of need. You have both made great sacrifices and taken great risks for each other, even before this bond was a concern."

Renn looked away from her again, but she could tell she was getting through to him. 

Liana kept pressing. "Tell me, honestly, do you think Kara would do something to hurt you?"

"No," he said after a long moment. "Not on purpose, anyway."

Her tail snapped back and forth. "You keep borrowing trouble, second-guessing yourself and thinking in circles. All that's going to do is cause you both pain."

"But, what if... it's not real? What if she...?" He looked up at her again, and she could clearly see the pain in his eyes.

Liana slapped her console, the whipcrack of sound pinging about the cockpit. "If you feel it, then it _is_ real! Stop overthinking it!" She moved to his station and pulled him into an embrace, nuzzling his hair. 

Renn hugged her back, his body tense. "If you cannot trust your own mate, then maybe it is better to end things between you now. Is that what you want?" She felt him shake his head against her shoulder, and smiled.

"Then do not do this to yourself," she said, "or to her. Things are not always easy, and they are not always straightforward. You need to trust yourself, and trust Kara. Have faith in what you feel, Renn. Have faith in your mate."

He didn't say anything for a long moment. She could tell he was thinking furiously, though. "Maybe you're right," he said at last. "I should go talk to her, huh?"

"I think you should," Liana agreed, fondly stroking his hair. 

Renn nodded, still looking pensive. 

She let go of him and stood, turning to go. "I expect you to sort this out before we arrive. When we land on Ekibo," she said, "I will need my entire family to stand together."

***

Ashee Quinn entered Valen Kell's meditation chamber, excitement rolling off her like shimmering heat waves along a paved road.

"Forgive me, Master-" she said, but Kell held up a hand.

"I have felt it," he said, even more coarse than normal, his scarred voice thick with emotion. "Yenaia Tran has been located."

Quinn bowed. "Yes, Master. A ship has been prepared for us, as you requested."

"Yes, yes... Excellent."

"Forgive me, Master, but you seem... preoccupied."

"I am. My meditations have revealed something. Something... astounding. Perhaps it is Yenaia, but somehow I do not think so. I feel that a nexus in the Force is fast approaching... and I sense something, a return perhaps, or a parting... I cannot say."

He rolled up out of his meditation posture and straightened his robes. "In any event, let us go to claim our lost little lamb."

***

"No, T5. I don't get it either!"

Kara sat in the gunnery turret, T5 plugged into his recharging unit at her side. As had became their custom, she asked permission to enter his space, and he'd agreed. 

The first beeps out of his speaker had translated to, "So, what did Renn do this time?"

Kara found herself relaying the entire sad string of events. How she'd just come into their room and he was nothing but gruff and cold to her.

"Organics are temperamental at the bet of times," T5 beeped, "but Renn is the worst of the lot."

"Oh, he's not that bad…." she said.

"Really?" T5 beeped. "He gets mad at you for being in his mind, and yet he seems to expect you to know what he's thinking. I don't know what organics call that, but mechanicals call it hypocrisy."

"Yeah, but-"

"And _then,_ he kicks you out of your own recharge area and forces you to spend time with… B4." He added a mechanical shudder.

"It's not that bad-"

"But the worst is, he still won't tell you _why._ I say reboot his systems and give him a memory flush."

"T5!" Kara snapped and paced a hand on his dome. "People don't work like that. Not organic ones anyway."

T5 took a long moment to consider that, and eventually responded, "Why the kriff not? That's just bad design...."

Kara couldn't help it, she just started laughing.

"That's it!" T5 beeped in declaration. "Organics need a firmware update!"

Her laughter grew more intense. At length, she gave the droid's dome an affectionate pat. "Thanks buddy, I needed that."

"What? You thought I was joking?"

***

After Liana left the cockpit, Renn checked the computer for Kara's comlink signal. Strangely enough, it was up in the turret. He blinked, wondering if T5 had stolen her comlink again.

He went to go take a look. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say to her. He wasn't even sure she'd talk to him. But Liana made him realize he was being an idiot. Again.

When he opened the hatch and poked his head up into the turret, he saw that Kara _was_ actually sitting in the turret seat, her eyes on a monitor nearby. "Hey," he said, but T5 started beeping angrily at him almost immediately. "I was just looking for Kara-" The droid beeped and squealed something else. "All right, fine, I'll go."

"No, wait," Kara said. She laid a hand on T5's dome. "It's all right, buddy. I'll hear him out."

T5 beeped something else and Renn saw her glance again at the monitor. He couldn't see what it said from this angle.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said.

T5's answer sounded profoundly disappointed.

"What is it, Renn?" 

Renn pulled himself up so he was sitting on the floor at the top of the ladder. He took a deep breath. "Kara, I'm sorry. I've been an idiot. As usual."

Kara looked at him. There wasn't a lot of room in the turret to begin with, and now with both of them at least mostly in it, it was really, really snug.

"I know you're sorry, Renn," she said, tentatively laying a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what I did to make you so upset, but whatever it was, I'm sorry."

T5 beeped again, and, after a glance at the monitor, Kara exploded in laughter. 

"What did he say?" Renn asked.

"T5 said, 'Renn's sorry, Kara's sorry, whatever! Get out of my space, both of you!'"

Renn laughed, too. "Well, he's got a point. It's a close fit for all three of us in here." He reached up and touched her hand where it rested on his shoulder. "Can we go somewhere and talk? Just us?"

She nodded and he let go of her hand, then started back down the ladder. He saw her lean over and pat T5's dome before she followed. "Thanks for the sympathy."

T5 grunted.

Renn led the way back to their bedroom, so they could talk in private. As soon as the door closed behind them, he turned to her and met her eyes. He wasn't really sure what to say, how to explain himself without betraying Aeron's confidence.

It turned out, he didn't have to say anything. Kara just wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. He returned the embrace and leaned in for a gentle kiss, a wordless apology. She melted against him, clutching at his back as if he would be whisked away at any moment.

Which was when the intercom beeped. "Attention crew of the Phoenix and guests: we've arrived at Ekibo."


	5. Homecoming

Liana waited for the rest of them at the Wanderer's hatch. Aeron joined her first, and then, after another moment, Renn and Kara arrived together, holding hands. Good. It seemed like Renn had heeded her advice. She nodded in approval. 

"We're to meet Cait in the hangar," Liana said. "We will take a dropship from the Phoenix to the surface." Then she looked around at each of them. "I will be calling you my family, but here, it is something closer to Cait's clan structure."

Kara and Aeron nodded. Renn just gave her what she interpreted as his 'positive shrug'.

"Let's go, then." Liana led them out to the hangar bay where the dropship was prepped and ready to go. Cait waited for them at the shuttle's ramp, Meena beside her.

Liana tilted her head. "It might be best if you did not come with us, Meena."

Meena's face fell. "Why-?" 

"It is not that I do not wish to call you family, Meena," Liana said. "But if word of our presence here reaches the Republic, that will tie you to us. As you said yourself, you can do more good for us if your name is not known to them, and we don't have a new identity ready for you yet."

Meena sighed. "You're right, I should have realized."

Liana looked to Cait. "Can she be considered part of your Clan for now?"

"Damn right she can," Cait said. She laid her left hand on Meena's right shoulder. To Liana, the gesture seemed somehow more formal than a simple farewell. "Stay here and keep an eye on Gat? He's excitable."

Meena nodded, then leaned in and kissed Cait quickly on the lips. "Stay safe, okay?"

Cait flashed a surprisingly girlish smile. "Always, love." She turned to Liana. "Shall we? Lug may leave without us."

Renn blanched. "You mean, Lug, the crazy jumpship pilot who made us all throw up back on Castell? That Lug?"

Cait threw him a wicked smile. "If things go wrong down there and we need to skedaddle, who else would you want flying?"

Renn silently pointed to Liana.

"It's not my ship." Liana shrugged, and headed up the ramp.

"Good point," Aeron said and followed.

***

The Trianii Rangers had provided them a landing pad assignment on the planet's surface, with a promise that a contingent of Rangers would be waiting to escort them to their final destination.

The dropship landed with far more delicacy than their previous trip with Lug. Liana disembarked first, and waited for the rest of her crew. She saw the small group of Rangers awaiting them by the exit, but she wanted to make sure her family was ready before they had to face them.

"Oh, I don't even get a greeting, Liana?" said a familiar male Trianii voice, in heavily-accented Basic.

Liana whirled around. One of the Rangers stepped forward and stood watching her with his arms crossed over his chest. He had dark grey fur, with a soft striped pattern of a slightly lighter shade. Like the other Rangers, he wore armor, though his bore the scars of long use. 

She knew him instantly. "Tihaar?! You...." Her words trailed off. She had not expected to meet someone she knew, not this soon.

"Me," he said, grinning at her. 

She was only vaguely aware of the others emerging from the dropship behind her. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well, when I heard it was you, I talked my C.O. into giving me this assignment. I had to see it with my own eyes." 

Renn came up beside Liana. "Captain?" he asked, eyeing the other Trianii. "Is everything all right?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes." Introductions gave her something to focus on. "This is Tihaar. We served together in the Rangers."

"Really, _that's_ how you describe me? I introduced this woman to my best friend and she married him. I think I'm a little bit more than 'someone she served with'." 

Liana's eyes flashed. "That is true… this one also has trouble with taking orders and got me into trouble repeatedly with our superior officers."

Tihaar laughed. "Also true."

"Sounds like we might get to hear some stories later." Renn grinned.

Liana growled at him. "Tihaar, this is my family, and a representative from our allies."

Tihaar looked them over. "Outsiders and Mandalorians... I don't know if that will go over too well with the _yu'nar...."_

"I will deal with that," Liana said, her voice hard. "Do you know who has agreed to meet us?"

Her old friend hesitated. "She has asked that we say nothing until we arrive at her office."

Liana narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Tihaar? Who is it?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, Liana. Orders." 

Liana growled again. She had a bad feeling about this.

Tihaar seemed to be the ranking officer among the Rangers there, and took charge of Liana's group, herding them toward a waiting vehicle being driven by a younger female recruit. That made sense. She did not recognize any of the other Rangers present; they were all quite a bit younger. Perhaps he was training them. The idea of Tihaar in charge of youngsters filled her with dread.

They all piled into the large speeder. Tihaar tried to keep things light, chatting with her crew, but Liana just became more tense as they went further and further from the dropship. She had no idea who was on the _yu'nar_ these days, and she feared that they might be walking into a trap. 

Still, she thought if there was real danger, Tihaar would have found a way to warn her. They had been close once, and he did not seem hostile toward her now. 

She prayed that her instincts were still good. 

The exterior of the building gave no indication of whose office it might be. The speeder pulled to a halt outside. 

Tihaar led them through the building to a lift, and from there to the third floor. The building was nicely appointed, hung with tapestries and artwork. A handful of furniture was arranged into a waiting space outside a closed office. There was also a desk, currently empty, which looked like a place for an assistant, or, given the work of the _yu'nar_ , more likely a gatekeeper. 

Liana felt strangely like an outsider herself as they walked through the halls. Everything was so familiar, and yet so strange.. 

She had been away too long.

Tihaar paused at the office door. "You sure you're ready?" he asked with a level look.

Liana nodded. Better to get this over with and find out if they even had a chance at this dangerous gambit.

When Tihaar knocked, a female voice called out in Trianii for them to enter. He opened the door and stepped inside. "Your honored guests have arrived, Matriarch." Liana recognized the formal phrasing of his response.

He stood to one side of the door and motioned them all inside.

The woman who met them, rising from the desk inside, was an older Trianii, a little lighter gold in color than Liana, the fur around her face fading to white with age. Liana fought the urge to growl. Of course, it would be _her._

The elder Trianii came around the desk and stood in front of it as they entered her office. Her eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth. It would look vaguely like a smile to one less familiar with the nuances of expression among her people, but Liana recognized irritation and anger. "You no longer call this place home. Why have you returned?" The woman spoke Basic, perhaps for the benefit of Liana's crew.

Liana motioned for the others to stay back, and stepped forward alone. She bowed her head before the other woman, hands clasped before her. "Matriarch Sayarre," she began the ritual words, "I come before the _yu'nar_ to seek refuge for my family and our allies." 

"Your family?" the woman asked disdainfully, looking past Liana. "A bunch of outsiders?"

Liana's head snapped up. "They _are_ my family," she snarled, her voice hard as iron. "We have been through fire and pain and death for one another. They have risked their lives for me, all of them. They are under my protection and guidance." She hesitated, then added, "I take responsibility for them as their matriarch."

"Do you now?" The elder tilted her head. "That is... unexpected. And you come claiming Mandalorians as your allies?" Her eyes flicked toward Cait before returning to Liana's face.

Liana met the matriarch's gaze and held it steadily. "These Mandalorians are bound to my family by ties of deepest honor. They are kin to my kin."

Sayarre's eyes bore into Liana's, her expression unreadable. She said nothing, though.

"Please," Liana said, bowing her head once more, and speaking in Trianii so the others would not understand. "I will return and take my place here again after this is all over, if that is your wish. But I must see these children safe first from those who hunt them. They are not mine by blood but by choice."

To her surprise, Liana felt a gentle touch between her ears. When she raised her head again, the elder Trianii's hand rested atop it. And for a moment, the woman before her was not a Matriarch of the _yu'nar_ , but a mother who had failed her grieving daughter when they both lost so much. 

"I would not ask that of you, child," Sayarre said softly in the same language. In a normal tone, she switched back to Basic again, "I wish to meet your clan of outsiders before we take your request before the full _yu'nar_."

"Mother?" Liana asked in startled surprise.

The collective shocked gasp from behind her was quite audible.

Sayarre withdrew her hand. This time, her bared-teeth expression held no contempt, but amusement. "I would know these outsiders who have reawakened my daughter. I would thank them and welcome them into my home."

Liana felt tears coming, and did not fight them.

Sayarre spoke past Liana's shoulder, addressing their escort. "Ranger, thank you for your assistance. Will you take my honored guests to the hall below? We will join them momentarily."

"Of course, Matriarch," Liana heard Tihaar say. In a mutter under his breath, he added, "It's about damn time." Her mother's ears flicked in irritation but she did not scold him. She had become lenient in the past years.

When they were alone, Sayarre embraced her daughter, and held her until the tears had run their course. Liana wept into her mother's fur, feeling like a child again herself. 

Her mother spoke in Trianii again when she finally released Liana from her embrace. "I will bring your request before the _yu'nar_ , Daughter, but I should warn you that this will not be easy."

"What do you mean?" Liana wiped away the last of the tears in her eyes.

"I have allies, but Vatari has also risen to a place on the _yu'nar_. She still holds her grudge, and she will fight us both, every step of the way."

Liana snarled a curse. Her husband's mother had never liked her even when he was still alive. After Saheen's death, Vatari's anger boiled down to naked fury. She blamed Liana for the death of her only child and grandchild. Liana held little hope that the woman might have softened in the same way her mother had.

"Do we have any chance at all?" Liana asked.

"I believe so. If we can persuade the other members of the _yu'nar_ , we can overrule her objections."

Liana sighed. "Well, it is better than I feared, at least. I had expected to have no allies at all here."

Sayarre tilted her head. "Then why would you come? Why take this chance?"

"For them. For my family."

Sayarre stroked her daughter's cheek with a gentle hand. "I see. I am glad that you did." Her mother paused, then went on. "I did not think I would ever see you again. I hold many regrets from the days before you left."

"As do I, Mother." Liana looked away as tears threatened again. 

Sayarre smiled. "Are you recovered enough to join your family again?" 

Liana took a deep breath to steady herself and nodded. Her mother motioned her out of the room before her.

Sayarre led her back down to the first floor, to a hall that had been set up for meetings with visiting dignitaries or guests. It was appointed with a large meeting table, surrounded by chairs. Some light refreshments had been set out as well, in case they were hungry or thirsty. Her crew seemed to be chatting with Tihaar, but they all turned to look at her expectantly when she and Sayarre entered. 

Liana sighed. "You may have already figured this out," she said dryly, "but this is my mother, Sayarre, Matriarch of the _yu'nar_ and of my family."

Sayarre dipped her head courteously.

Liana put a hand on Renn's shoulder. "This is my partner, Renn Falani."

Renn had his charm on. "Pleased to meet you, Matriarch," he said, bowing his head to her. He had picked up on Liana's mannerisms from earlier and imitated them. 

"Partner?" Sayarre asked, head tilted in curiosity.

"Business partner," Renn said with his trademark smile.

Liana realized she had not actually told her mother what she'd been doing since she left Ekibo. "We fly a cargo freighter, Mother. We are... traders, of a sort. Renn and I have been travelling together for several years now."

Sayarre looked dubious, but nodded.

"And this is Kara Tao Vanden." Liana hesitated, then decided to let the girl say what she would about herself, if she wanted.

Sayarre looked a bit startled, but controlled her reaction as Kara bowed gracefully. "Liana was kind enough to give me a home when mine was taken from me," she said. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Matriarch."

Liana moved on. "This is Aeron Rhade."

Aeron crossed his hands before him at the waist and bowed low. "Formerly of the Jedi Order, Matriarch. Your daughter took me in as well, and has been both loyal friend and fierce protector to myself, and our odd little family."

"I see," Sayarre said. "And why 'formerly', Master Rhade?"

"A philosophical falling out, I'm afraid, Matriarch. I serve the ideals of the Jedi Order."

"Ah, a Knight Errant, it seems."

"I do not claim the title, though you do me much honor, Lady Sayarre. I thank you."

And then Sayarre turned to Cait, who stood with her helmet tucked under her left arm, in a Mandalorian gesture of trust. "And you are?"

"I am Caitlyn, of Clan Rook. I command the cruiser Phoenix in orbit, Matriarch."

"And your ties to my daughter's family...?"

"Kara Tao Vanden's uncle married into my Clan. That, and her grandmother's position of honor among my people, grant her a place among us, and bestow upon us a duty to protect her as one of our own."

"I see," Sayarre said. Liana noted her tail swishing in a gesture of deep thought. "Are you aware of the meaning of my daughter's statement on your behalf?"

"She said we were bound by ties of deepest honor, and called us kin of her kin. I understand the latter, but not the former."

The Matriarch nodded in approval. "Wise leaders admit their ignorance. A tie of deepest honor is an unwavering commitment. It means that my daughter has no doubt that you would gladly walk into the fire for her and hers, or she for you. Is this the case?"

"For me, yes," Cait said at once. "But as leader of my people, I cannot ask them to do the same."

"Would you need to?" Sayarre asked. "Or would they only follow your lead?"

"A wise leader," Cait said, "does not assume that those in her charge would follow her into the fire, and does not ask it of them lightly."

"Indeed, she does not." Sayarre nodded. "In so far as I can, I welcome you and your people to Ekibo, Caitlyn of Clan Rook. Abide peacefully, and none shall raise hands against you."

Cait snapped her right fist against her chestplate in an ages-old salute. "We will abide peacefully under the customs of hospitality, Matriarch. Thank you."

"I invite all of you to my family's home for dinner," Sayarre said, looking around at them. "It is nothing formal. I simply wish to know you better, and we should also discuss strategy and plans before I bring your request before the _yu'nar_." 

Liana answered for all of them. "Of course, we would be honored."

"Ranger, have you other duties to attend to?" Sayarre asked Tihaar.

He bowed his head to her. "No, Matriarch. Command has put us at your disposal for as long as you require."

"I would be grateful if you would play escort for my guests a little longer, then."

"Of course, Matriarch." Tihaar looked at Liana and grinned. 

She rolled her eyes at him. Some things did not change, it seemed. He was always so impertinent. She was surprised it didn't get him in trouble more often. 

"I have business to finish up here, but I will see you again at dinner." Sayarre turned and left the room.

Liana sat down heavily in one of the chairs. "That... went better than I expected."

"You know," Renn said, "you could've warned us that we were meeting your mother."

"I didn't know!" Her glare fixed on Tihaar.

Tihaar looked offended. "Don't look at me like that, Liana. She ordered us not to say anything." 

"Since when has that ever stopped you," Liana said, but her old friend just pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against.

"When you're ready, we can take you to the estate," Tihaar said.

"We should probably get this over with." Liana sighed and rose again. 

***

Seeing Liana grow more nervous as the speeder drove through Ekibo's capital wasn't doing much good for Renn's nerves either, he had to admit. He kept a grip on Kara's hand as they sat close together in the back of the large speeder. 

As it left the capital city, the vehicle emerged onto rolling green plains. "This was founded as a farming colony," Tihaar explained, nodding out the speeder window beside him. "As we get further out of the city, the more clear that will be. If you get a chance to go exploring, there are some pretty spots around here."

Kara stared all around, mouth agape and her eyes wide with delight. Renn smiled at her reaction and squeezed her hand. "You like it here, huh?"

"Am I being that obvious?" she asked, blushing a bit.

"A little, farm girl." He kissed her cheek. "It's rather adorable." 

Kara rolled her eyes at him and went back to taking in all the green farm country. "It's not like home," she said with a tinge of sadness. "It's too developed, too settled. But it feels so close to Derra IV." She turned to Aeron, who was in the seat immediately behind hers. "What do you think?"

Aeron sighed. "I suppose. There's is a lot of... _life_ here. It does make a pleasant change after Castell and its aftermath." 

Kara nodded, some of the joy leaching out of her face.

The speeder turned and approached a large, sprawling building in the middle of all that green. It seemed like the structure just kept going. "What is this place?" Renn asked. 

"My family's estate," Liana said. "My old home."

A couple of young Trianii children came running up to the speeder, absolutely fearless, as it pulled to a stop. An older voice barked words in Trianii that Renn didn't recognize, and the kids ran back toward the house, laughing.

Liana's tail lashed, but she said nothing. 

"You okay?" Renn asked, leaning forward to where Liana sat, in front of him and Kara.

She sighed. "I... don't know," she said. "It is so strange to be back here. I have been gone for over ten years. Everything is so different, but in some ways, it is almost like I have not been gone at all."

Renn snorted. "I know that feeling," he said, thinking of the time he'd spent not too long ago on Nal Yeshu with his mother and Kara. He reached forward and put his other hand on Liana's shoulder. She smiled back at him.

A Trianii woman approached the speeder. Liana stiffened as Tihaar climbed out to speak to her. Renn noted the resemblance between the other woman and Liana; she must be family. They had nearly the same fur color, although the newcomer had a pattern of stripes in her fur that Liana did not.

When Liana climbed out of the speeder, the other Trianii woman stared at her a moment. Then she pulled Liana into a tight embrace. "Welcome home," she said.

Liana hugged her back for a long moment, then she pulled away. "My sister, Zeyra," she said, making quick introductions as the rest of them climbed out of the speeder behind her. "She is Sayarre's heir."

"Please, come inside," Zeyra said to them. Even her voice, the way that she spoke Basic, was reminiscent of Liana's. "Our mother has asked me to welcome you as guests." Then she smiled. "Rukka will want to see you, Liana. He's around here somewhere."

Renn and Kara had been out of the speeder for about five seconds when a piece of the sky plummeted down and landed on Kara, screaming.

"What the-?!" She attempted to bat the thing away, but it clung to her hair. Renn tried to help her. It was some sort of bird, he thought. It had a long body, white-feathered and snake-like. Its wide wing membranes and gem bright eyes were ice-blue.

Kara stopped struggling after a moment, and the creature quite calmly hopped onto her forearm, where it chirruped at her.

"Oh!" Kara said, in absolute wonder. "He's Singing! Like a little gliderwing!"

"What?" Renn asked, startled.

A young Trianii male came running up to their group, his attention focused on the bird. He had golden fur also, with a similar striped pattern to Liana's sister. "Sorry, I-" And then he stopped short, staring at Kara. "It's you!"

"Rukka," Zeyra said, "do not be rude."

"Mother, it's her!"

Kara blinked at him. "I'm... who?"

"You're the light! From last year!"

Shock rolled off Kara in waves so strong Renn could almost see them. The bird batted at her hand and cooed worriedly as the blood drained from her face. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I felt it, and I saw it. It looked like wings of light. Almost like the wyverns' wings." Rukka reached for the little creature, but it pulled away from his hand. It rapidly crawled up Kara's arm and behind her head, where it hissed at Rukka.

Through the whole thing, Kara stood rooted to the spot.

"We have talked about this, Rukka," Zeyra said. Then she turned back to them with her tail twitching in what Renn recognized as an apology. "There was some... mass hallucination, about a year ago. Rukka, and some others, insist it was some sort of vision from the Goddess."

"It _was,_ Mother. It was a vision of _her."_ He gestured to Kara. "She fought off the Silence with Song and Light. The Bladedancer."

Everyone gaped at Rukka for a long second, until Kara finally swallowed hard and said, "I think, Rukka, that we need to talk...."

***

Soon, everyone was seated about a round table in one corner of the house's large covered porch.

Kara still had no idea how to process this. The little bird, whatever he was, absolutely refused to be separated from her. Even now, he sat on the porch railing next to her, but he rubbed his head along her arm, as if trying to give her the reassurance she needed. 

In the Music, she clearly heard him Sing a note of safety, of connection and togetherness. He wasn't like the gliderwings, who almost approached actual language with their Song, but the emotions came through clearly.

"The wyvern hawk has taken a shine to you," Zeyra said.

"Excuse me?" Kara asked, confused.

"That creature there, we call them wyvern hawks," Zeyra said. "In our culture, they are considered guardians and guides. They have been known to bind themselves to people of significance during their times of greatest trial."

"Well, that sounds about right...." Renn muttered. The bird just hissed at him.

Renn and the little wyvern did not seem to get along at all well. Kara thought it was more the sudden addition of the wyvern's presence that Renn objected to. Time would help.

Odd that she already thought of the little bird as part of her life. She shoved all of that aside for now. "Rukka, could you tell us about your vision?"

He nodded. "It was noon, on a bright, sunny day," Rukka said. "Suddenly, the sky dimmed, and the wind died away, as if all sound had become muffled. I've never felt anything like it, before or since.

"But then, from the south, light flooded back, and with it came a song... a beautiful song. I've never been able to remember the words, or the melody, but it broke my heart to hear it. The singer was, well, you, Miss Kara."

"Me?" Kara asked.

Rukka nodded emphatically. "You had these great wings, made of light. It was like they stretched on into infinity, and then... I don't know to describe it, the sound came back. But it left me.... There aren't words really, but I felt like something that had been wrong with the world was healed, like it was all right now."

Aeron, who sat across from Rukka, spoke up. "How did you know the word 'Bladedancer'?"

Rukka looked confused. "I just... did? Somehow, it seemed appropriate."

Liana studied her nephew intently. Then she looked at her sister. "How common was this vision?"

Zeyra shrugged. "I can't say for certain. We heard a number of reports, but we were not sure which to take seriously." She tilted her head. "Are you saying there is truth to his vision?"

"Absolutely all of it." Aeron said, with granite certainty. "A little over a year ago, Kara dueled the Sith Lord, Venaar, on Derra IV. The battle ended just as Rukka described."

Kara rose suddenly and, with a hurried "excuse me," she bolted from the porch. 

When at last she stopped, she found herself under the spreading limbs of a large tree on the opposite corner of the house. The little wyvern settled onto her shoulder and cooed a Song of concern, of worry.

Kara felt a flood of emotions in response to the little beast. Everything that battle had cost, everything that had risen from that snarl of life and death. 

The wyvern seemed to consider them and Sang back a single, clarion note....

Faith.

"Faith? In what?" she asked aloud. "The Music? Myself...?" 

"How about in us, Kara?" Renn said from behind her.

Kara turned, her heart in her mouth and tears in her eyes. She wanted to tell him she had faith in him, in the relationship that had blossomed between them. She wanted, more than anything, to tell him she loved him. But the words just wouldn't come.

"Hey," he began, his eyes full of concern. He tried to put his arms around her, but the wyvern scrambled around her neck and hissed at him. Renn backed up a step. "Okay, that's gonna get old real fast."

Kara glanced down at the wyvern in exasperation. The little creature seemed to consider her for a moment, then Renn. Then he returned his gaze to her, and slowly slunk around to hide in her hair. He Sang a note of acceptance. 

Kara laughed and Sang back in appreciation before she embraced Renn. He always knew exactly what she needed, and a good chuckle had been it.

"I don't think your new friend likes me much." He slipped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her. The wyvern made a warning sound from his hiding spot in her hair, as if to emphasize the point. 

They both laughed at that.

"You looked like you'd seen a ghost back there. Kara, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I think I will be, at least. It's just... a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it. I mean, it's not every day I find out I'm sleeping with a legend... Kara Bladedancer." He smirked.

"Not if you keep making bad jokes like that, you're not," she said, giving him a little dig in the ribs.

"Ow!" Renn chuckled. 

She smiled and leaned against him.

They stayed like that a while longer, taking comfort in each other's arms, before Renn said, "If you're feeling up to it, we probably should go back before they send a search party to find us. Or, worse, Aeron."

Kara laughed, and they headed back together.


	6. Machinations

After dinner, Liana sent everyone else back to the ship and took her mother's offer of a guest room at the estate for the night. Sayarre said it was so that they could further discuss tomorrow's meeting with the _yu'nar_ , but Liana suspected her mother wanted to have her here with the family a little longer.

It was exhausting, to be honest. Their home was so large because of the extended family who lived there. All three of Liana's sisters and their husbands and children, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins... She had been gone for so long that she didn't know many of them anymore. Most of the children were too young to have known her at all. Some of the older children knew her vaguely, but she had left when they were very small. 

Well, except for Rukka. Her eldest nephew had been close in age to her daughter, making them inseparable playmates when they were little. He seemed to realize Liana's unease with dealing with the crowd of curious family, and made himself her unofficial guide. Helping her put names to faces and trying to keep her from being overwhelmed.

When Liana needed air, Rukka took her out to the porch and sat with her. She greatly appreciated his thoughtfulness. Besides, she wanted to catch up with him alone. "We have not had much chance to talk. Are you well?"

He beamed up at her. "I've been learning to fly," he said. "I'm not cleared to go up solo yet, but Tihaar has been teaching me, when he's home. He said I might make a good Ranger someday."

Liana chuckled. "Did he?" She was sure her mother _loved_ that idea, having another child of her family run off to join the Rangers. Well, at least this time, it wasn't her heir, so maybe she wouldn't mind so much.

Rukka nodded. "I'm not sure if I want that, though," he said. "I just... I feel like there's something else out there for me, but I don't know what." From his words, she feared he might have a bit of the same wanderlust that had taken hold of her. Would he someday cut himself off from their people as she had?

She studied her nephew. If she remembered right, he must be around sixteen or seventeen years old now. He needed only maturity to be a true adult, and from his behavior tonight, she thought he was already beginning to find that. 

"You both used to be so small," Liana said, resting a hand on his head in affection.

"I remember," he said.

A thought occurred to her then. She reached into the pouch she wore at her belt, and withdrew the crystal that she still kept there. "Rukka, look at this." She handed it to him.

He stared at it, turning it over gently in his hands. "It's beautiful," he said. "What is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Kara gave me this when we first met, to pay her passage on my ship. It was something she inherited from her grandmother. I always felt it was too important to sell, so I've kept it this whole time." She tilted her head at him. "Would you like to have it?"

Rukka's eyes widened. "It's from her? Are you sure I can have it?" He held it up to the sky. The light from the windows of the house refracted through the crystal and it almost seemed to glow in the darkness.

"I think I would rather you keep it," Liana said. "As a memento, if nothing else. It seems right for you to have it."

He leaned against her. "Thank you, Aunt Liana." She stroked his fur again gently. They sat quietly like that, she wasn't sure how long, but at some point, he fell into a doze against her side, the crystal still clutched in his fingers. 

Sayarre found them like that some time later. "Daughter, are you well?"

"Yes, I just needed to get away for awhile." Liana looked down at the boy and smiled, a little sadly. "The memories here were too much for me," she said.

"Ah." Her mother sighed. "Unfortunately, we do still have much to discuss before tomorrow."

Liana nodded and woke Rukka. After they had sent him to his own bed, she followed her mother inside to make their plans.

***

Meena went to Cait's room to see her as soon as she got back from the surface. Ostensibly to make sure she was okay, but, well... things had kind of happened the way they always did with the two of them. Not that she was complaining. 

"Cait?" Meena asked, snuggling close. It was too dark to see her lover, but she didn't need to. She could tell Cait was still awake from the cadence of her breathing. "Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously," Cait purred in that wonderfully exhausted manner of hers. 

Meena hesitated. She wasn't entirely sure how to phrase this question without it sounding weird. Or possibly offensive. There was a lot she still didn't get about Mandalorian culture. "Um... the other day, when I was talking to Lodus, he didn't seem sure what to call me. What am I here, exactly?"

Cait's voice grew playful. "You mean biologically, philosophically, emotionally...? Gimme something to narrow that down."

Meena giggled a little. "I mean- I mean, am I... part of your clan?"

Cait kissed her shoulder. "Short answer, that's up to you. Do you want the long answer?"

"Yes, please?" Meena asked in a small voice. 

"You're... well, the term has a really nasty connotation in Basic, but you're technically a camp follower." 

"Ugh," Meena said. "Nasty doesn't begin to cover it...."

"It doesn't mean what you're thinking," Cait said. "It's someone not fully of the clan who is nonetheless under our protection and part of our support mechanism. You have most of the same rights as a full member of the Clan, except you can't issue challenges without a sponsor. Does that help?"

"I think so," Meena said. She hesitated. "I'm sorry. It's just... no one else really talks to me except you and Gat, and now Lodus. I don't really understand what to do a lot of the time."

"Um... yeah..." Despite the darkness, Meena could almost see Cait blushing. "That's my fault," Cait finally said. "Remember the first night we met? And Lodus called you that terrible thing and I, um..."

"Almost shot him?" Meena suggested.

"Yes, that." Cait laughed. "I'm afraid that my reaction may have scared most of the crew into leaving you alone. If you were to engage a few of them in friendly conversations, or even just hang out socially, I think their hesitancy would disappear soon."

"Do you really think so?" Meena said with a sigh. "I thought maybe it was because I'm a Twi'lek, but I wasn't sure."

"What would being a Twi'lek have to do with it?" Cait sounded confused. 

"There's kind of a reputation," Meena said, burying her face against Cait's shoulder. 

"Meena," Cait said, "if reputations were to be believed, would you have even considered being here with me tonight? I mean, Mandalorians rape, plunder and pillage. We're violent sociopaths who want nothing more than to make the galaxy burn, right?"

"No, you're not." Meena's voice was very quiet as she spoke against Cait's shoulder. 

"So, why would we hold the equally spurious reputation of your species against you?" Cait leaned down and tenderly kissed Meena's forehead. "People slap convenient labels on groups so they don't have to see individuals. Don't let their lazy thinking define you. Don't let the bastards win."

"You're right," Meena said.

"Damn right I am...." Cait trailed off into a yawn so massive Meena thought she might have felt the air pressure drop. "Sorry, been a long day."

Meena giggled. "And then I wore you out, didn't I?" She stifled a yawn of her own, though. She liked it when the two of them talked like this. It felt... free somehow. Like she could say anything. 

"Yes, you did...." Cait snuggled close against her. "Night, love," she murmured.

Meena, head against her shoulder, could hear the moment when Cait's breathing slowed into the gentle rhythm of sleep. "Good night, love," she whispered.

***

The _yu'nar_ assembled at noon the following day in a large building in the center of Ekibo's capital. Kara, Renn and Aeron were ushered into a gallery above the central chamber, flanked by Tihaar and Rukka, who took seats at either end of the trio. Rukka next to Kara, Aeron in the middle, and Tihaar just past Renn, leaving one seat in the row vacant.

A young male, with an even younger female on his arm, asked Tihaar something in Trianii.

"No," Tihaar said in Basic. "There are seats in the upper rings."

"But then we could not see! And they are outsiders!"

"They have business here," Tihaar said ominously. "And I am about to have business with you, friend." 

They retreated to the upper ring without another word.

Rukka suppressed a chortle, but Kara was concerned. "Should Tihaar be throwing his weight around like that?"

Rukka shrugged. "There was no blood."

"Blood means paperwork," Tihaar agreed.

Kara looked down into the ring of seats directly behind the Matriarchs' positions on the floor. Liana, along with her sister, sat behind Sayarre. 

The _yu'nar_ consisted of nine Trianii women. Most were elders, although there was one there who was not, a light-furred woman who looked younger than Liana.

"Who's that?" Kara asked, indicating the young Matriarch. 

Rukka leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Her name is Paila. Her mother died recently. Paila took her place in the _yu'nar_ in the interim until a permanent replacement is confirmed."

The eldest of the Matriarchs called for order, and conversation died down around them. She said something in her native language.

"Matriarch Sayarre brings a petition before us," Rukka translated in a whisper.

Sayarre rose. She spoke in Basic, for the benefit of Liana's crew. "My daughter has come before us seeking asylum for her family."

Another matriarch across the room made an angry hissing sound. 

"Vatari, Liana's mother-in-law," Tihaar said. From his tone and the snarl of his lips, it was obvious that he didn't think much of the woman.

Vatari did not speak in Basic, but in Trianii. Rukka translated quietly for Kara's benefit. "Why should we cater to these outsiders?" she asked. "Your daughter abandoned our people. She has no right to return and place this burden on us."

Kara glanced down at their Captain and saw Liana's sister put a restraining hand on her arm.

Sayarre spoke in a measured voice. "That is not your decision to make alone, Vatari."

Rukka translated as Vatari spoke again. "And were you going to tell us why they have come here, Sayarre? What they may bring down upon us if we allow this?"

"What do you mean?" another matriarch asked. This one also spoke in Basic.

"She refers," Sayarre said, "to the spurious and baseless charges brought against my daughter's family by the Republic. Charges brought to mask the crimes of that government upon their own citizens on the world of Castell."

The words echoed off the stone walls. The fate of Castell had reached all corners of the galaxy, and all had heard of the atrocities committed against that peaceful world.

"The Republic has gone mad," Sayarre said into this heavy silence. "And in their madness they may strike us, yes. But that would be the case even if we betrayed who we are and handed one of our own over to their... dubious justice."

A low murmur went through the room.

"There is proof of this... wild claim?" asked the elder Matriarch.

"There is," Sayarre said. "In both the witness of my daughter's family, and data from their ship."

"How very convenient," Vatari said with a sneer. "Obviously, this so-called proof is but fantasies concocted for our benefit."

This was not going well. Kara was nearly swamped in all the various Songs rising from the floor. Concern, worry, anger, fear... 

"And just as obviously," Paila said, "Matriarch Vatari is chewing old soup. The grudge she bears Matriarch Sayarre and her family is well known. I would _see_ this evidence before condemning it." She glared at Vatari. "Unless clairvoyance is a gift of the aged and infirm that no one thought to mention until now."

"Oh," Renn said, "I _like_ her."

The elder Matriarch looked as though she'd rather not say what came next. "Very well, since the moton to present this... evidence... was implicit in Sayarre's argument, and it has been seconded by Matriarch Paila...." She grimaced. "We will reconvene in one month's time to examine the evidence. Matriarch Sayarre, you will provide the _yu'nar_ with an overview of all pertinent facts for our review by the end of the week."

Vatari sputtered out something in her native tongue but before either Rukka or Tihaar could translate, the elder Matriarch responded in Basic. "This is _our_ law, Vatari. Take your feud elsewhere. It has no place in this chamber. We are concluded."

And with that she rose and left the hall. 

"What comes next?" Aeron asked their escorts.

"What else?" Tihaar said, rising to lead them out of the chamber. "Politics."

Liana met them outside the building after a little while. She looked somewhat resigned.

"Liana?" Renn asked. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "My mother briefed me on our next moves. We will provide her the evidence we have, so she can find the best way to present it to the rest of the _yu'nar_. They will probably need to talk to all of us, as well as Cait, at some point." Then Liana sighed. "She is also planning a formal dinner party in a few weeks, before the _yu'nar_ meets again. She will be inviting any that she thinks we can sway to our side."

Kara caught the shift in mood. "I take it we need to be there?"

Liana nodded. "Of course. We need the support of the Matriarchs who will be there. Which means making the best impression possible."

"Great," Renn said, grumbling. "Formal wear, I'm guessing?" 

Liana nodded. "Meena should be ecstatic. For now, we need to get back to the Phoenix."

Tihaar laughed. "Good thing I have an official Ranger speeder waiting for us."

Liana gave her friend a level look. "You just want an excuse to run the siren, don't you?"

"It never gets old." 

***

The Republic fast courier made orbit over Centares and a single small shuttle dropped from its bay toward the surface.

Valen Kell enjoyed the sensation of piloting, of having space beneath his ship and the illusion of freedom it provided. Many would have given the task of this quick shuttle jaunt over to a pilot droid, but not Kell. He had piloted the courier, as he would the shuttle. To him, it was a form of moving meditation.

Beside him, Ashee Quinn sat garbed in nondescript robes. She could be scholar or refugee, townsfolk or traveller, but she certainly did not look like a Jedi. Nor did he, in his spacer's togs and boots. The vocalizer and breath mask he wore further concealed his identity. The less the bounty hunters knew, the better.

The shuttle completed its atmospheric reentry, and Quinn got a navigational fix on the meeting place, an armed compound some distance from the nearest settled area. Obviously, this crew valued their privacy.

"Approaching shuttle," a voice blared from their comm speakers, "identify yourself."

Quinn flipped a switch and spoke into the pickup. "We are the originators of bounty #67-aurek-985. We have come to claim our wayward property and deliver your fee. We're transmitting the clearance code attached to the bounty on a sub-channel."

"Transmission received. Maintain course and speed and we'll be ready for you when you get here. Land on the primary pad. You can't miss it."

"Acknowledged." Quinn cut the comm.

Their shuttle landed amidst heavy security, but most of it appeared to be automated. Maybe this crew wasn't as large as it looked.

A single Zabrak man waited on the landing pad. As their shuttle ramp lowered, he strode to greet them. "Welcome to our nest. Your wayward Jedi is this way." He led them toward a bunker just past the landing field.

Quinn stopped, hand falling to the blaster at her hip. "What makes you think she's a Jedi?"

The Zabrak stopped and turned to her. "The markings on her head tendrils are unique to Tholothian Jedi. Also, her actions when we captured her, and the fact that she had a lightsaber. I respect your need for... discretion, but don't assume we are blind, or foolish." Then he turned and they entered the bunker.

"Indeed," Kell said through his harshly mechanical breath mask. "I would be interested to know how you succeeded in capturing her."

"I'm sure you would," the Zabrak said. "But I cannot give you that information. Trade secrets, you know. Here she is...."

Kell recognized the Tholothian girl at once. Yenaia Tran was strapped to a medical hover gurney. An attached intravenous pump kept her dosed with what Kell guessed was a powerful sedative. "Effective," he said, and gestured to Quinn. "Check her."

Quinn took out a medical scanner, confirming both her condition and identity. She nodded to Kell.

"Very well," Kell said, taking out his datapad. "Shall we conclude our business?"

The Zabrak took out a pad of his own and they transferred the agreed upon sum of credits. Quinn began to move the gurney to their shuttle.

"I hope," the Zabrak said as they left, "that you will consider us for any similar future needs, Master Jedi."

Kell turned back to the Zabrak.

"Oh, come now," the man said. "You asked for the retrieval of a Jedi Padawan, alive only. The request came through back channels, but it had Republic Intelligence's fingerprints all over it. And the Jedi are basically running RepInt now." At Kell's look of consternation, he added, "Like I said, neither blind, nor foolish."

"Half of what you said is correct," Kell said, reaching beneath his jacket for his lightsaber. "Unfortunately, it's the wrong half." With blinding speed, he ignited the blade and cut the Zabrak down.

Between them, Kell and Quinn slaughtered everyone else in the compound in less than ten minutes. 

They loaded Tran onto their shuttle and left. As the compound fell behind the horizon, its fusion-reactor power source detonated in a spectacular fireball, consuming all of the evidence.

The shuttle docked aboard the fast courier, and Quinn saw to stowing their passenger as Kell returned to the ship's cockpit. A message light blinked on the comm console. It was a recorded transmission. Kell pressed the button.

"Master Kell," said one of the Shadows they'd left on Coruscant. "The cruiser Phoenix has been located. It is at the Trianii world of Ekibo, outside Republic territory. Kara Tao Vanden and the crew of the Wanderer are still aboard her. The information comes from a local official, Vatari, of their governing body. Per your instructions, the Emancipator battlegroup has been dispatched...."

The rest of the message was lost on Kell. Curse the timing! He was on the far side of the galaxy from his quarry! But then he recalled his vision, of a parting, and a possible reunion. This felt like a part of that.... "Trust the Force, trust the vision," Kell repeated the old mantra. 

Things would unfold as they must.

***

Tihaar came with them back up to the Phoenix, with orders to bring a copy of the ship's data back with him to Sayarre, so that she could begin looking at their evidence. He took great pleasure in baring his teeth in a 'smile' at the Mandalorians who were in the docking bay when they disembarked.

Liana sighed at him and led the way toward her ship. "Please stop making our allies nervous."

"Who, me?" he said with a laugh.

"It's a wonder you haven't been shot yet." She paused. "I am considering correcting that oversight."

"I've missed you, too, Liana," Tihaar said with another grin, a real one. "You know, I'm getting together for drinks tonight with a few old Ranger friends. You remember Dren? It was her idea. You should come."

"I don't know," she said.

"Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, we should catch up. We haven't had much chance to talk."

Liana looked over at him. "All right," she said. "I'll come."

Walking just ahead of them, she saw Renn lean close to Kara's ear. He spoke in a low voice, but Liana still heard him say, "Is it just me, or are they flirting with each other?"

Kara considered, and nodded.

"You know I can hear you," Liana said.

"We know," Kara said. "You should relax and enjoy your date with Tihaar."

"It's not-" Liana's tail lashed angrily.

"We aren't-" Tihaar's tail lashed in mirrored precision.

"Suuuure," Renn said, looking back at them.

Liana glared at her partner. "Go get the records we came here for," she ordered, arms crossed over her chest. 

"Yes, Boss," he said with a smirk.

***

A handful of old Ranger friends had gathered for this little reunion. There was Dren, an older woman who had been something of a mentor to both herself and Tihaar during their training days; Juunah, who had still been a trainee when Liana left; as well as a now mated pair, Keena and Brakka, who had both joined the Rangers at the same time as herself and Tihaar. They had since retired and started a family.

The six of them met in a bar not far from the city center. The others all greeted her warmly, with embraces and fond nuzzles. They had served together, after all. There was no need for formality between her and her companions in arms.

As they sat together, Keena and Brakka told stories of their little family, of the place where they had finally settled down, outside the capital of Ekibo. Liana smiled wistfully as they spoke of their children. Dren, Juunah and Tihaar told stories of their recent exploits, missions and tales of exploration. Liana found herself telling carefully edited versions of the adventures of her own crew. 

The drinks kept coming as they talked late into the night.

"Between you and the Mandalorians," Liana said, finishing another drink, "I think I have consumed more alcohol in the past few weeks than I have in all the years since I left Ekibo."

Tihaar just grinned at her and filled her glass again.

She found herself watching him as the night went on. She had always found Tihaar handsome. They'd been together a handful of times in their younger days, before she'd met Saheen. Mostly prompted by adrenaline and hormones, although there was real affection between them. But he didn't want to settle down, and she had never considered him seriously as a future mate.

Besides, he'd kept insisting that she needed to meet his best friend, his near-brother. And he had been right. The connection between Liana and Saheen had been instant and deep. They'd been married only a couple of months after meeting, despite the objections of both sets of parents. Tihaar had stood as witness in their marriage ceremony. He had always been a part of their lives, from the very start.

Liana sighed and closed her eyes. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a sudden wave of grief came over her. She missed her husband and daughter so much, and being back here, back in the place where they should be — but were not — only made it worse. 

"What's wrong?" Tihaar asked, close to her ear. 

She started. "Nothing," she said. The look in his eye said he didn't believe her, but he leaned back into his own chair anyway. 

Across the table, Juunah was regaling them with a tale of his last mission, how his squad had fought off three pirate ships with only one ship of their own. Dren kept correcting the details of the story with a wry note in her voice. Keena and Brakka were leaning against each other, their chairs close together. Liana rather thought they would excuse themselves soon. They seemed less used to late nights these days.

Their little party broke up after a few more rounds. Liana lingered at the table as the others took their leave. Tihaar stayed with her, watching her with an unreadable expression. Finally, he said, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"I should return to my ship...."

He shook his head. "It's late. My apartment's nearby. You can spend the night."

She looked at him suspiciously.

"You won't find another pilot this late, and we've both had too much to drink to fly tonight. I don't want to rouse your mother's household either." His tail lashed. "I think she already doesn't like me much."

Finally, Liana nodded. He was right. Although... she could probably call the Phoenix and ask Cait to send one of her men... But no. She did not want to impose on her allies either.

It was a flimsy excuse, but she went with it.

Tihaar took her back to his small apartment. It showed little sign of being lived in. That made sense. He was away often, and he had no mate, no family. This apartment probably stood empty more often than not. The main room held a couch and smattering of other furniture, chairs and tables. They all looked very new and very clean. Two doors in the back of the room led to private areas.

"You can take the bed," he said, coming into the apartment after her. He pointed toward one of the doors. "I will sleep out here." Then he grinned at her. "Or I could join you. If you want me to."

"Tihaar," she growled. 

"Liana," Tihaar said, "you've been without a mate since you left." 

She walked over to the window, looking out over the city below. "Yes," she said, not looking at him. She didn't see any point in lying about it. He knew she had not been with anyone since Saheen's death. Her grief had been too great before she left Ekibo. She had not seen another Trianii since leaving their territory, and other species held no attraction for her.

"You know that's not what Saheen would have wanted for you." He wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling her.

She stiffened. "Stop, Tihaar."

"Liana..." He let go at her command, but did not back away.

"I will not betray my husband," she said. "Not even for you."

"I'm not asking you to," he said. "I know I can't replace Saheen. I don't want to."

She turned her head and met his eyes. He was standing close to her now. Why did he have to be so damn attractive? And why had she drunk so much? She knew she was not completely drunk, but she'd had enough. "Then what do you want?"

"I only want you to be happy," he said. "I've been watching you tie yourself in knots since you got here. You're lonely, Liana. I can see it. You're allowed to want something for yourself. Saheen would not want you to give up on life just because he is gone."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Be careful what you say, Tihaar."

He continued despite the warning, his gaze never leaving hers. "You and I... we are the two who loved him best in all the world. He was your husband, but he was my brother."

"I miss him so much," she whispered, looking away from him at last. 

"So do I." He reached a hand out and gently stroked her cheek. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me, when Saheen died. Let me be here now."

She sighed heavily and leaned into his touch. "I _have_ been lonely," she said at last. "But being back has only made it clear that I no longer belong here." She met his eyes again. "I have responsibilities to my crew, Tihaar. To my family. My place is with them. I am not going to stay on Ekibo. I do not plan to come back after we leave again."

"Liana," Tihaar said with a soft laugh, "I'm not asking you to put down roots or get married. I'm just asking you to share my bed tonight." 

"Just for tonight?" she asked.

"If that's what you want... Matriarch," he said, his voice amused but his eyes smoldering.

She glared at him. "I do not need you calling me that, too... Ranger," she growled.

Tihaar grinned at her in that frustratingly charming way of his. "Oh? What do you need from me, then?"

Liana said nothing else, but pulled him into her arms, her tail twining around his waist. 


	7. Roots

Renn was down on the planet, busy giving his testimony about the Wanderer's data from Castell and the Republic's treachery to the _yu'nar_. Liana was still not back yet from her non-date with Tihaar — the Captain could call it whatever she wanted, but Kara knew better. Aeron was off trying to remove his own head from his ass. And even T5 had told her to go away.

So she had. Kara retired to the still empty cargo bay with her lightsabers and tried to work out some of the knots she'd been tied in lately.

But it wasn't helping. Her limbs felt heavy, the Music off-key. The sense of frustration within Kara only grew. In aggravation, she closed down her blades and made to throw one at the wall.

Arm cocked, her temper dissipated and her shoulders slumped. Dammit, now even this, the sole release she had for all her grief and anger, was cut off from her. She snapped the lightsaber hilts back onto her belt and, with a vicious spin kick, sent a small storage crate flying into the wall with a tremendous crash.

"Well," Meena said from behind her, "that's one box which will never threaten us again."

Kara didn't turn around, just hung her head in embarrassment and concern. She hadn't Heard Meena in the Music, still didn't Hear her, not really. Meena's usually bright and clarion Song was still there, but muted by the mass of dark dissonance swirling around Kara.

"Kara, are you okay?" Meena asked, her worry apparent in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm...." _No, I'm not. I'm really kriffing not._ Kara finally faced her friend. "I'm just frustrated, I guess. Feeling useless. I can't even Hear the Music clearly."

Meena looked confused for a moment. "Oh! You mean that Music! Sorry, I'm a little dumb sometimes." She giggled nervously. "You know what always makes me feel better? Dancing."

Kara took a deep breath and tried not to bark at Meena that she'd been trying and failing to do exactly that.

Meena held up both hands. "I know, I know, but...." She shook her head, as if she wasn't sure how to phrase what she was trying to say. "I mean regular music, and normal dancing. If you're having trouble with one thing, then try something else. Maybe let go of it and forget what's bothering you."

Kara shrugged. "Why not? Got something in mind?"

"I could show you some of the routines I learned with my troupe. They're not that complicated." Meena pulled a little datapad from the pocket of her borrowed jacket. "I think I still have some of the music files too."

"Sure, lets do it." Kara unhooked her weapon belt and set it over to one side, near her towel and drink bulb.

Meena shrugged out of her jacket and set it aside. She set the datapad down next to it, then bounced on her toes a few times. "I usually do some stretching first. You don't want to pull a muscle or hurt yourself." She bent at the waist, touching her toes. Then she straightened and lifted one leg behind her, grabbing the ankle.

When Meena almost touched her foot to the back of her head, Kara spluttered. "Stang, woman! Have you no bones?"

"And this is me out of practice," Meena said with a giggle. "Well, I guess I have been getting in workouts with Cait...."

Kara raised an eyebrow at her.

"Not like that! Well... okay, like that, too, but that's not what I meant! You know, fighting lessons...." Meena trailed off awkwardly.

Kara chuckled and patted Meena on the shoulder. "I know, and I'm glad you two are so close."

After a couple more stretches, Meena straightened again. "You want to start like this. Arms at your side, feet apart. Keep your body loose." She walked over and started music playing from her datapad. It was an upbeat, rhythmic tune.

"Like so?" Kara copied Meena's stance.

Meena nodded. "Exactly! I'll show you how it goes. Don't worry if you don't get it all at first. We just want to have fun, right?"

"That's the plan," Kara said. She watched as her friend began a series of motions, each timed to the music. At first the cycle seemed very complex, but as Meena repeated it, Kara realized it was actually simple, it just grew and changed over time.

After a time, Kara fell into perfect sync with Meena's movements. The pattern and rhythm took hold. At first, she flowed smoothly from one move to the next, but then a tempo change caught Kara off guard and she stumbled. Meena, who'd expected the shift, didn't pause and the back of her spinning hand caught Kara across the face.

The blow didn't have a lot of force behind it, but it was so unexpected, and Kara already so overbalanced, that she spun to the deck.

Meena stopped instantly, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Oh! Oh, Kara, I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" She reached a hand down to help her up.

Kara didn't move. As the shock wore off, she remained huddled on the floor, surprise giving way to anger. All the mounting stress and frustration boiled over into a flashpoint of rage. She didn't even realize she'd slapped Meena's hand away until a moment after she'd done it, until she saw the hurt and fear in her friend's eyes.

Slowly, carefully, Kara got to her feet. "It's all right, Meena, it was an accident," she said through gritted teeth. She stalked out of the cargo bay, ignoring Meena's attempt to stammer a reply.

She didn't know where to go, or where she wanted to go, she just knew she had to do something with this roiling cloud of fury before someone got hurt. She left the Wanderer behind and roamed the halls of the Phoenix. 

She stopped the first person she saw. "Excuse me," she all but growled at him, "I really, _really_ need to hit something. Where can I go?"

***

Renn was trying to concentrate on the testimony. He really was. But he was having trouble staying focused.

He'd already explained to the matriarchs present — not the full _yu'nar,_ but a smaller group, consisting of the elder, Sayarre, and a couple others — what had happened on Castell, what he'd discovered about the communications jamming during the battle, and their conclusions about the Jedi involvement. Cait and Gat were here, too, to provide their own view of things and their own data from the Phoenix's bridge. Cait was speaking now, but Renn couldn't pay attention.

He wasn't sure if it was because their bond had grown stronger, but he felt Kara's emotions more intensely now than he had even a few months ago. And right now, she was upset about something. From her, he felt frustration, irritation, anger. 

She was probably just working off some steam with her lightsabers. She did that from time to time; it was how she coped with things. Maybe working it out physically might do her some good, might finally help bring her out of the depression she'd been fighting since Castell.

But then he felt a sudden spike of pure rage, like a burning hot knife plunged straight into his brain. He had to close his eyes against the red-tinged headache, putting his head in his hands.

"Falani?" Gat asked.

Renn shook his head. He couldn't explain it. "I'm sorry," he said, "I- I'm not feeling well. I need to go. Can you explain stuff if they have more questions?"

Gat nodded.

The matriarchs looked annoyed, but Sayarre said, "Very well," in a tone that indicated it was anything but. He was probably going to get an earful as soon as Liana came back to the ship. But none of that mattered right now. He just knew he had to get to Kara as quickly as he could.

***

Her impromptu guide led Kara to a padded training area, where a small group of people practiced various combat disciplines with one another, and against a row of training dummies by the far wall.

She selected an unoccupied training dummy as far from anyone else practicing in the room as she could get, and just let go.

She launched a roundhouse kick that caught the dummy in the side of its neck. The dummy snapped on a hinge at its base and bounced back off the floor in time for Kara to follow the kick with a pair of rapid punches. It bounced up again for another kick.

A small crowd began to gather behind her, but she barely noticed. Kara was deep into it now. The rhythm came so easily, strike and block, kick and punch. There was no grace, no finesse, just power. The Music screamed through her in a loud brassy note of rage, and she reveled in it.

"Skor, you should challenge her!" someone in the crowd whispered. 

"No, I want to be the first!" another said.

They annoyed her... and she let that fuel her anger, fuel her rage. Her next kick sent the training dummy's head spiraling off the wall and into the crowd like a missile.

A moment later, Kara's admirers had fled.

"Well," said Aeron from behind her, "that was spectacular."

Kara ignored him. She just focused on breathing in and out, trying to get a handle on herself. She was so loud in the Music, she hadn't even heard the discordant yell of Aeron's approach.

"I suppose," the Jedi said, "you're aware of the precipice you stand on? Just how foolish it is to lean that extra bit further into the dark?"

She spun to glare at him. "Don't preach to me! I'm just trying to vent, dammit!"

"Vent? I haven't ever felt this much anger and darkness from you. Not even with Tivosh."

_"Shut up!"_

Aeron recoiled a step, but he didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow.

The fury boiled out of Kara like a cloud of emotional steam, leaving her diminished and exhausted. "I'm sorry, Aeron. It's just-"

"Just nothing," he said. "You're better than this, Kara."

"No." She dropped to her rump on the floor and curled around herself, hiding her face. "I'm not."

Aeron stepped up to her ball of misery, and put a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Renn thinks you are. Is he right?"

"I don't know...."

With a sigh, Aeron lowered himself to the padded floor and sat beside her. She didn't want him to say anything, and he didn't. Just stayed with her.

Dimly, she Heard Renn's approach before he bolted into the gym, out of breath from his sprint here from the hangar bay. 

"What happened?" He paused. "Aeron, what did you do?"

Aeron stood and started toward the door. "I did _your_ job," he said as he passed Renn and left the room. 

After a moment, Renn sat beside her and rested a hand on her back. "Kara?" he asked, voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I came as soon as I could get away."

"S'alright," she said to her feet.

"Somehow I don't think it is. Just a hunch." He reached over and brushed her hair back from her face with his other hand, but she didn't look up at him. "You wanna talk about it?"

Yes, she did. Oh, how she wanted to unburden her soul to him, but she didn't dare. There was enough trouble among her family. She didn't want to add to it by destroying the image of her Renn carried in his heart.

She just balled up tighter. "...No."

"Okay. How about this, then?" He gently wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against his chest. 

Kara melted into his embrace. All the grief and anger, all the loss and sadness... she couldn't let them go, but she could cover them up one more time with his love and support.

He was always here for her and she.... 

She was a damn hypocrite.

***

Meena waited by the shuttle ramp for Cait and Gat. She'd heard the chatter earlier aboard the Phoenix about Kara destroying a training dummy in the gym. Between what Rennie had told her the other day, and how Kara had acted after the accident, she was really worried. And a little scared.

Gat trudged down the ramp first. He looked tired, more so than she'd ever seen him. She hoped things had gone smoothly down there. "Hey, Meena," he said with a ghost of his usual smile. "What's up?" 

"How did it go with the _yu'nar_ today?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Gat sighed. "Falani bailed. Dunno why, but he looked like he was hung the krif over." At her startled glance, he added, "He wasn't. He just _looked_ that way."

Oh. Meena realized why as soon as Gat said it. But she wasn't sure she should say anything to explain. It wasn't really her place to talk about it.

Cait stumbled down the ramp after Gat. "Oh, hey, babe. What a nice surprise." She embraced Meena quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Ugh," Gat said. "Do you two _have_ to go all lovey-dovey in front of me like that? After the day we had?"

Cait turned their sweet hug into a passionate embrace and threw a smoldering look at her brother. "Yes, yes we do," she purred.

Gat sighed and headed for the door. "Because of course you do. I'm gonna go find Lug and get hammered."

Meena forgot her worries about Kara and Renn for a moment. Cait usually didn't get snuggly in public. That was new. "I missed you," she said. "You look tired. Did you eat already?"

"No, I like my taste buds too much to subject them to Trianii cuisine. Have you?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for you." 

"I'm both sorry you had to wait and glad you did." She gave Meena a wicked look. "Dinner in?"

"Shouldn't you eat with your officers and men?" Meena asked with a giggle.

Cait shrugged. "It's good to be the Commander sometimes."

They went back to Cait's quarters together. They passed a handful of other Mandalorians in the corridors of the Phoenix as they walked, but Cait didn't seem fazed by it. She just kept her arm around Meena and nodded to them as they greeted her.

"Did something happen?" Meena asked, after Cait called down from the comm console in her room to have dinner for two sent up. "You seem different today." 

"What you said earlier, about being awkward among the crew.... It got me thinking, so I discreetly asked around—" Cait blushed, "—and, to a man, said they were happy we were together. Dammit, so am I."

Meena smiled. That fit with what Lodus had told her in private. "I am, too." 

When their dinner arrived, Meena slipped out of Cait's arms to get the door. If Cait was done keeping it a secret, well, there was no reason for her to stay hidden. The man hastily turned his greeting of "Commander" into "Miss" when Meena opened the door instead of Cait, but otherwise he didn't seem bothered by her presence in Cait's room. She thanked him with a beaming smile.

They settled down to eat at the table together. Meena finally broached the subject she'd been worrying about all afternoon. "I went to see Kara today," she said. "I figured with Rennie down on the planet, she might want some company." She sighed. "She was really upset about something when I got there. So I suggested maybe we could try dancing, just to help work out what was bothering her." Meena realized that might sound a little strange. "I mean, I always feel better when I move around and get some exercise. Especially since we've all been cooped up on ships for so long, you know?" 

Cait nodded. "And?"

"It seemed to be going okay at first. But I accidentally bumped into her and knocked her down while she was trying to learn the routine." Meena looked down at her food. "I tried to help her up. She slapped my hand away. But... I think the look on her face was the worst part. It... scared me. I was afraid for a few minutes that she really might hurt me...."

Cait froze, and her voice dropped from its usual warmth down to polar winter on Hoth. "Oh, were you? I'll have to speak to her about that..."

"No, Cait, please. She didn't do anything to me. It's okay." Meena held up her hands. "I just... I'm worried about her. There's something wrong."

"That's what I'm concerned about. If she ever lost control, Kara could cut through this ship like it was made of spun sugar."

"No, she wouldn't do that." Meena shook her head. "I trust her. She wouldn't really hurt us." 

Cait sighed. "All right, I'll trust you. But, please? If something like this happens again, tell me immediately, okay?"

Meena nodded. "I promise." She only hoped that Rennie could help Kara. She just wanted her friends to be okay.

***

Kara couldn't see the man's face. 

He stood before her, atop a gray granite mountain, against a storm laden sky. In his right fist was darkness. In his left, light. He stood, this grim phantom of death, with all the power of creation, and yet he did naught but regard her.

"Say something!" 

She did not see a movement. She couldn't say how she knew, but the thunder that rolled and crashed about her was his... all of this was his.

She tried to hear his Song, and her heart turned to ice. 

Nothing. She heard... nothing. Not just from him. She couldn't find a scrap of Music... anywhere. In panic, she clutched at her ears, nails biting deep into her skin and blood welling.

Silence.

Kara screamed, her throat tearing with the strain, and yet no sound came. Even his booming thunder had faded to a dull, persistent ringing, more felt than heard.

The darkness and the light oozed along the man's hands and swarmed up his arms. They began to slowly eat him away, and yet his brilliant and twilight hands still reached for her. 

Kara could not move, could not breathe, as he wrapped those impossible hands about her shoulders and the fires of light and dark began to consume her as well. She felt it nibble its way through her, burning with each tiny bite. It seared her nerves, it cooked her flesh, and yet, though she cried out in agony, still no sound came.

As the silent fire reached her heart, the man leaned down, as though to look her in the eye, and his concealing hood rolled back to reveal.... 

Kara sat bolt upright, clutching her chest and panting like a bellows. Blood pounded in her ears and she welcomed the steady thud, thud, thud. 

Still lying beside her, between her and the wall, Renn stirred and made a sound in his sleep. If he had sprung from the bed, thrown his arms around her, and proclaimed his eternal love, he could not have made her happier. She _heard_ him.

From his perch in the corner, the wyvern cooed a question. In the Music, a note of concern, quickly soothed.

Kara almost wept in relief. She sat on the edge of the bed. As the relief and panic drained away, all she had left was the dull ashen gray of fatigue. Despite a long night of sleep, she woke more tired than the evening before.

She glanced at the chrono on the shelf beside their bed. The alarm was set for ten minutes from now. Kara grumbled and rolled out of bed, switching off the alarm before it sounded.

"Huh... Kara?" Renn asked, his voice muffled and still groggy from sleep. "Wha's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said. "Just a nightmare." 

She was gathering her clothes when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Talk to me?"

"I'll be fine." The flat listlessness of her voice surprised her. "Have you seen my other shoe?"

"Kara, please?" He didn't let go of her. "Tell me what's been bothering you."

She stepped out of his embrace and turned to look him in the eye. Suddenly, she wanted to cry, but her dry eyes had long since run out of tears. "Renn?" Her voice felt thick, like it was a struggle just to talk. "What's wrong with me?"

He didn't have an answer. He just wrapped his arms around her once more and gathered her against his chest, holding her tightly, stroking her hair. She leaned against him, feeling drained and empty inside.

Finally, he said, "Come on, let's get you out of here for a little while. We can go down to the planet, maybe go exploring. I think it'll do you some good. No politics, no pressure, just the two of us."

The wyvern flapped over from his perch and landed on her shoulder with an insistent trill. Kara laughed weakly. "All right, the three of us," she told the bird.

When they were both dressed and ready to go, Renn took Kara's hand gently and led her out to the docking bay. The wyvern clung to her shoulder.

"You know," Renn said as they walked together, "Liana didn't come back to the ship again last night." He was obviously trying to distract her.

"Good for her," Kara said. She meant it, but her heart just wasn't _in_ anything right now. Maybe Renn was right. Put the doom and gloom on the shelf for a day and just enjoy themselves. Surround themselves with _life._ It sounded good to her.

"I was thinking," he said, "I know I said just us, but... we could probably use a native guide. To translate and show us around, if nothing else. Do you want me to see if Liana's nephew wouldn't mind meeting us?"

"It's probably a good idea," Kara said. "He'd be better to have along than B4, at any rate... and we probably _will_ need a translator at some point."

Renn commed down to Sayarre's estate. Rukka eagerly agreed to meet them at the landing pad and show them around his hometown.

When they disembarked from the dropship, the Trianii teenager was already there waiting. He waved a greeting when he saw them. 

Kara waved back. She took a deep breath and stretched her arms out wide behind her. Then she paused in mid-stretch and peered closely at Rukka.

"Hey, Rukka, where did you get that necklace?"

The young man lifted the crystal, which he had wrapped a leather thong around. "From Aunt Liana. She said you gave it to her as payment, but she didn't have the heart to sell it."

Renn chuckled. "Of course she didn't."

"Well, I think it looks good on you," Kara said with a smile.

"What is it, though?" Rukka asked. "Aunt Liana didn't know."

Kara shrugged. "I don't really know either. There were seven of them in a pouch I inherited from my grandmother. She was a Jedi Knight. Maybe Aeron would know."

"So," Rukka changed the subject, "where do you two want to go today?"

Kara considered. "We've been stuck on the ship, more or less, for, what, the better part of a month? I want _life._ Someplace where there's a lot of life happening."

Renn nodded. "What do you do for fun around here, Rukka?"

Rukka laughed at them. "I might have some ideas. There are some nice places around the city. Come on, I brought my speeder."

Rukka's speeder was a long, lean beast. It sat like a predator ready to pounce on some unsuspecting prey, all menacing black and trimmed with gleaming chrome... well, except for the hand-painted flames along the side.

Kara saw the look on Renn's face and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Should I be jealous?"

"Maybe a little," he said, grinning. "I mean, it is a gorgeous machine." Renn ran a hand over the door handle in appreciation before opening it for Kara.

Rukka looked proud. "Tihaar helped me with it. It was my birthday present last year."

Kara climbed in and began fiddling with the five point harness on her seat. The wyvern curled up in the shelter of Kara's lap, and Renn slid in next to her. "You know," he said, "you never gave the bird a name." 

Kara looked at him in confusion. "He... doesn't have one. None of the gliderwings had names; the idea would confuse the heck out of them. This little guy's the same way."

"Yeah, but I can't just keep calling him 'bird', you know?"

Kara shrugged. "We'll think of something."

Rukka slid into the driver's seat with practiced ease. "Do up the full harness," he said. "I only heard one click, Falani."

Renn grumbled as he added the shoulder straps. The engine flared to life with a low, predatory rumble. 

"So, Rukka," Kara asked, "how fast does she gooo _oooo?!"_ Rukka answered by accelerating away so fast that Kara was sure she'd left her innards behind. She whooped with joy and Renn let out a curse of admiration.

Rukka grinned. Kara noted that the hot rod speeder wasn't the only thing Rukka'd gotten from Tihaar. Trianii smiles tended to be all hooked, razor sharp fangs. Her long exposure to Liana lessened the effect, but Tihaar could terrify a stone when he wanted to. Rukka looked like he was learning at the foot of the master.

"Where are we headed?" Renn asked.

"Well," Rukka said, "it's a bit early for most of my friends to be awake. They're probably sleeping off last night's speeder races."

"You race this thing?" Kara asked.

"Sure do. In fact, my buddies were probably happy I wasn't there last night. Gives one of them a chance to win." His grin was wide. "Anyway, since they're all probably sleeping still, I thought I'd take you to a marketplace on the outskirts of the city. Lots of life, right?"

He brought them to what had probably started as a seasonal farmer's market. But it had been here long enough to have developed into more of a permanent event space. Vendors sold everything from flowers, to foodstuffs, to craft goods of all kinds from various stalls. The crowd was dense, and not just Trianii but several species of off-worlders as well. Locals still outnumbered them ten to one, but there were more species than Kara would have expected.

Rukka found a sheltered spot to park that was perhaps a hair wider than his speeder, but he slotted it in with an ease that would have made Liana proud.

The market was an utter delight. Everywhere they went, there were people. Sellers hawking their wares, shoppers stopping to chat with friends or haggling with vendors, children scampering about looking for treats or playing with their fellows. Kara gawked like the tourist she was, but then, so did Renn. This wasn't like any marketplace either of them had ever seen. Even the wyvern seemed impressed by everything as he rode placidly on Kara's shoulder. The sights of so many beings, so many colors, the aromas of so many exotic foods... and then the sounds. 

Kara thought at first what she was hearing was just the Song of the market, but then it became clear that this music was more mundane, but no less magical.

At a square near the center of the space, a group of musicians had gathered. Their instruments were unfamiliar to Kara, but the sounds that came from them spoke to her very soul. A crowd had gathered around the musicians and those nearest the band danced in wild, joyful abandon.

Kara joined them with a gleeful cry. The wyvern leapt off her shoulder and found a perch on a nearby roof to watch. 

At first, the crowd of Trianii laughed at this outsider joining their dance. But it wasn't a mocking laughter. It was one of joy. They greeted this person bound to them by common song and welcomed her into their pattern as the music enfolded them all in its embrace. 

She caught a glimpse of Renn holding up a hand to stop Rukka, and saying something to their young Trianii guide. She spotted him again, briefly, leaning against the wall of a nearby building, watching her with a genuine smile. But then she lost sight of him completely as she was caught up in the dance.

When at last the musicians cried the need for a break, the crowd applauded wildly. Kara received several thumps on the back and many mutual hugs were freely given. Breathless and glowing from her exertions, Kara made a note to tell Meena she was absolutely right. And to apologize to her.

She glanced around, but Renn was nowhere in sight. One of her fellow dancers pressed a drink bulb into Kara's hands and said something in rapidfire Trianii that she didn't understand. Kara smilled, pointed to the bulb, and bowed slightly with her hand over her heart. The Trianii woman seemed satisfied with that and disappeared into the crowd with one more quick hug.

The wyvern swooped down onto her shoulder at her whistled call. When she Sang a Song of Renn, the bird Sang back the equivalent of a shrug. He had watched her for a while and then gone off with Rukka. Kara sipped at the bulb as she searched the crowd. The drink was some sort of tea, cool and extremely refreshing after her exertions. 

After a few minutes, she found the pair of them back by the boy's speeder, admiring the tech Rukka had under the hood. Renn was clearly in heaven as he inquired about some doodad or other that even he had never seen before.

"I should have known," Kara said as she threw a tired arm around Renn's shoulders. "Hi, sweetie."

"Hey," he said with a soft smile, his own arm slipping around her waist. He leaned in for a quick kiss. "You looked like you were having fun. Feeling better?" 

"Feeling better," she said. "And hungry. Suddenly quite hungry." She turned to Rukka. "Is there somewhere good to eat around here?" Then she remembered Liana's taste in food. "Somewhere safe for humans, that is?"

Rukka smiled. "Ah, yes, you folks do have a somewhat lower tolerance for spicy food, don't you?"

"We don't like to breathe fire, no," Renn said. "One time, Liana made us one of her favorite dishes from home. I thought my eyeballs would melt."

Rukka laughed. "I think I know just the thing, then. We passed a stall a little ways from here."

A few minutes later, they were standing in front of someone selling various kinds of cheeses. Rukka placed an order in his language and came back with two small plates of small white and yellow cubes.

"I think you'll like this. It's very mild," he promised.

Renn looked at it suspiciously. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a type of cheese," Rukka answered, holding the plates out to them.

Taking the plate, Renn sniffed at one of the cubes first before taking a careful bite of it. He was always so paranoid about everything.

Kara tried one of the cubes. It was a bit salty, but after a moment the creamy flavor flooded her mouth. It was delicious. She began nibbling with zeal. The wyvern grabbed a cube and bolted it down in one bite.

"What is it, specifically?" Renn asked.

Rukka smiled. "Well, technically... it's a, um..."

"Rukka...."

"We feed it to our young. Our _very_ young."

"We're eating baby food?" Kara asked.

"Well, you said you wanted safe and bland," Rukka said with a shrug. 

Kara resumed her lunch. When Renn looked at her aghast, she shrugged. "Hey, I'm hungry... It's good, and it's food."

After a time, when they'd explored all the market had to offer, they returned to Rukka's speeder again. "Where to next?" their guide asked.

"Someplace with a lot of nature and not a lot of people," Renn said. "Trees. Lots of trees."

Kara looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"You know, like your home."

Kara exploded in laughter. "That's your definition of where I used to live? Not a lot of people but a lot of trees?"

Renn shrugged. "Farm girl, before I left Nal Yeshu, I could count the number of trees I'd seen outside of pots on one hand and have fingers left over." But he was smiling as he said it, just a little hint of that scoundrel's grin she loved so much.

"Actually," Kara had to admit, "nature does sound pretty good."

"There's a little farm village a few ticks from here," Rukka said. "It's at the foot of a mountain my friends and I race up and down. That oughta do, right?"

And then, they were on the road again. They travelled along fields nearly ready for harvesting. Fields of grain and vegetables, fruits and stock-grasses, life bent to the needs of others. At length, they came to the village.

The village was a tiny little place. It was about half the size of High Rock, the village Kara's family had lived nearest to. It was little more than a general store and a town hall sitting on either side of the road leading up the mountains. But what the town had, in addition, were trees. Massive trees, the size of small hills, that grew not tall but broad. Giant mounds of a single tree, or smaller trees that had grown into one another over thousands of centuries, who could say. 

They were majestic, ancient, and they themselves Sang deep, quiet Songs of sweet water and cool shade on a warm summer's day.

Kara walked among the massive roots of the hill trees in wonder. They were like nothing she had ever experienced. The wyvern still rode on Kara's shoulder. When he flew, he would flit among the leaves and return to her, but he would not set foot upon the branches of the tree. Even Renn, who walked just behind her, had no witty joke, no sarcastic comment to make as he gaped up at the immense tree. Several paces behind came Rukka, who walked with a bowed head, as if in reverence of a holy place.

At a crossroads with another path, they found a female Trianii trimming a small berry bush at the foot of the tree. She looked up and smiled. "Rukka!" she called, but then her eyes went wide when she saw Kara. She stood, shocked, and then bolted down the other path.

Rukka swore in Trianii. "Come on, we should get back to the speeder before she comes back."

"Why? What's wrong?" Renn asked. 

"Nothing," he said. "But that lady and the folk who live hereabout may make Kara uncomfortable." 

Kara was confused, but followed the youth back to the speeder. 

Unfortunately, the speeder was already surrounded by a small mob of Trianii. They gazed at Kara much the same way she'd looked at the magical tree. The wyvern winged off Kara's shoulder to try and be a guard between them and her.

But a child, less than ten years old, if Kara had to guess, darted forward under him and touched Kara's hand in reverence. "Blaydanseer," she whispered in awe, then she scampered back to her mother. 

Kara glanced sharply at Rukka. 

"A lot of people who live out here are... sensitive," he said with a sigh. "Like I am. They all saw the light last year. They think you're a prophet of their goddess."

Kara grimaced as the crowd advanced. The braver individuals reached out to tentatively touch her sleeve or hand. 

When one girl about her own age tried to stroke Kara's ponytail, Renn grabbed the girl's wrist. "Hey, back off!" The wyvern also dove at her, cawing in anger. The girl hissed at them and lashed her tail angrily. She and Rukka exchanged angry words.

An elderly voice from the back barked out a command in Trianii, and the crowd melted back. An ancient woman came forward, one hand on a gnarled cane, and the other across the shoulders of a younger male. "Do not crowd them so," she said switching between her own language and Basic. " _Peshtarre._ Give them air. _Peshtarre."_

As the crowd withdrew a pace or two, the wyvern landed again on Kara's shoulder. It bowed its head at the old matriarch's approach.

They reached Kara and her companions. The elderly woman's helper gently steadied her on her own two feet and withdrew. "Lady Bladedancer," the woman said with reverence and respect. "Please forgive my kin for their rudeness. It is not every day that miracles are made manifest to us."

"I am no miracle," Kara said.

"Oh, but you are. Perhaps you are not aware of it yet, but you have brought hope to the galaxy. The darkness you dispelled affected us all, though we did not know it. It was your light that lifted our eyes to the horizon, and beyond. It grows in us, and now that darkness can never take root here again. You gave us a greater gift than we can ever thank you for."

"You're wrong!" Tears stung Kara's eyes. "It's back. The darkness, the Silence... It's back and I-"

"And you do not have the strength to fight it?" the woman asked.

"No."

"Of course you do not, child. You have given that strength to us. To the galaxy around you."

"I- what?" 

"Your strength has been given to us all. We do not ask you to fight the darkness once again. None can, alone."

_But I'm always alone,_ Kara thought. _I was alone when I almost lost myself trying to save Renn from the Silence... I was alone when I killed Tivosh... no, when I murdered him. And now, with all these people around me, all these potential hostages to the darkness... I'm alone again._

When she spoke, her voice was a broken thing, full of pain and sharp, cutting edges. "Then, how can I-?" She could not finish the words, and broke down in a storm of weeping.

Renn moved as if to embrace her, but the old woman waved him off. For once, he obeyed without a word, although he watched with worry haunting his eyes.

"Because, child," the woman said, laying a gnarled hand on Kara's other shoulder, "you are no longer alone."

"But- but last time it nearly killed... nearly took everything...." 

"If you build the biggest bonfire in all the worlds, and I take but a piece of that fire to kindle one of my own, it does not diminish yours, yet still there will be more light than your immense blaze could make by itself." She wrapped tired arms around Kara's shaking frame. "So it is with your Song. The great harmony of life is made strong not by lone powerful singers, but by the multitude of voices."

"You-" Kara sniffed. "You know of the Music?"

"The Song sung by all life? The great harmony of the Goddess? It goes by many names, child. Perhaps it is our Goddess' will made manifest. Or perhaps the Force of which the Jedi speak is but the substance from which all the divinities of this galaxy were made. The greater mystery is beyond our understanding, regardless of which truths are fact."

She stepped back to look Kara in the eye, but kept her hands on her shoulders. "And for that, and for you, I am eternally grateful."

"Why?" Kara asked. 

"Because in this world of hard truths and cruel facts, of starships and droids, of lightspeed and instantaneous communication across the stars, there is yet magic in the world. Don't seek to define it, just have faith that it _is,_ and that it will not fail you."

Kara smiled weakly and nodded. "Thank you, for your counsel."

"Thank _you,_ Lady Bladedancer. For your brave deeds, and for helping an old woman to rediscover the light within herself." She released Kara. Her helper resumed his position at the old woman's side, and they slowly returned the way they'd come.

But before they'd melted back into the crowd, the old woman paused. "Next time you come here to pit your great beast against those of your cousins, Rukka, you will remember to stop and visit your old granny, yes?"

Rukka looked shamefaced. "Yes, Grandma Shanna."

"You're a good boy, Rukka." She eyed the crystal he now wore, then looked back at Kara and gave her a wide, mysterious grin, like she knew what was to come and approved.

As the elderly Matriarch and her family left, Renn wrapped a supportive arm around Kara. "Grandma?" He eyed Rukka.

"Uh, on my father's side. It's how I know so much about this area." He looked up at the slivers of sky visible through the canopy of the massive tree. "It's getting late. I should probably get you back to the shuttleport..."

They clambered into Rukka's speeder and made their way back to town at a more sedate pace. During the ride, Kara leaned over and kissed Renn's cheek. "Thanks, spacer boy. I really needed this."

"I thought you might." He took her hand and squeezed. 

The wyvern poked his head up from where he rested in a ball in Kara's lap. Then, when the speeder next jolted over a bump, he jumped up and settled into a ball again in Renn's lap instead.

"What-?" Renn froze, startled. He stared down at the bird. "Um... What am I supposed to do?"

Kara stroked the little creature's spine. "Just relax. He won't bite you."

"You sure?"

She leaned against Renn's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Probably."

"What do you mean, probably?" he asked, with a somewhat nervous chuckle.

She just snuggled into his shoulder. "Renn? I- We should talk about something. I'm afraid to, but I think it needs to be done."

"You can tell me anything, remember?" He put an arm around her. 

"But... telling is one thing. Living with the consequences? That's another." She sighed. "After I say this, you'll.... Renn, this is going to change the way you think of me, and I don't know if I can take that."

He shook his head. "I doubt it. But why don't you let me decide what I think for myself, instead of assuming you already know?"

"I- I'm falling. I can feel it."

He was quiet for what felt like a very long time. She could almost feel him processing and thinking and turning it over and over in his brain. At last, he said, "Then we'll pull you back."

"I don't see how. Everyone's pulling at me, and it's only making me fall faster...." Kara felt the tears gathering behind her closed eyes. For good or ill, the dam was about to burst. She couldn't stop it now.

His arm tightened around her. "I won't let you fall."

"I- I don't think you can stop it. It- Renn, I think it started with you."

Again, it took him awhile to speak. "Do you want to...?" He couldn't finish the question, but he didn't need to.

"No, Renn... stop." She sat back upright, keeping her eyes fixed on her hands folded in her lap. "I don't mean that it's _you_ personally. It started with.... Every time I look at you, I see what I did to—" she swallowed hard, "—what I did to Tivosh. Renn, I- I-"

"Aeron told me," he said, cutting her off. "You don't have to say it. I know." 

Kara's head snapped up with a gasp. Even the wyvern, still in Renn's lap, started suddenly. "You do?!"

Renn nodded. "He told me right after I got out of the medbay. When I asked him to help me." He took her hand again. "Is that what you've been tearing yourself up over?"

Her tears burst through in silent rain. "How...?" Kara trailed off. "How can I be this great light, when all I have in me is darkness?"

"Darkness? I don't buy that for a second. I saw you dancing today. You were so beautiful, so full of joy and life." He snorted. "So, you're not perfect. So what? You're human, Kara. You get angry and you make mistakes. Everyone does."

"But... yesterday... Meena tried to cheer me up. She wanted me to dance with her." She took a deep breath. "She accidently hit me. Nothing hard, mind you, no big deal... But I almost-" She buried her face in her hands. "I almost attacked her. Renn, I could have killed her. I was so angry, so furious... I was out of control, and it scared me."

"If you were out of control, then what stopped you?"

"Renn, it's not that I stopped myself, it's that I almost didn't!"

"But you did. No one had to pull you away. You recognized what was happening, and _you_ stopped it."

"But I-"

"No, Kara. Shut up and listen to me."

That got through to her. Kara flinched back, eyes wide. But she stopped talking.

"You're overthinking this," Renn said. "I know, I do it all the time. And when I do, you always call me on it. You tell me not to worry about it, that I've already solved the problem, and I just have to do it again. Well, take your own advice. You can do it, because you already have."

Kara took a very long time to find the smallest sliver of her voice. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. And if you can't do it alone, I'm here. You don't have to carry the weight of the galaxy by yourself." He reached for her hand again. "Let me carry it with you."

Slowly, tentatively, she took his hand in hers. Almost at once, she felt better. Not out of the woods, but better.

A moment later, the wyvern settled atop their clasped hands and wound himself around their fingers. It was a small gesture, nothing really in the scheme of things, but it made her laugh. 

Renn looked at her with a bit of a pout, as if to say, 'oh yeah, the _bird_ makes everything better,' which made her laugh even more. She lifted her free hand and stroked Renn's cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled. "It's worth it to hear you laughing again. You haven't been doing that enough. I missed that laugh." He turned his head to kiss her fingers.

"So did I."


	8. Politics

Meena entered the hangar bay about mid-morning and paused at the base of the Wanderer's open ramp. She heard all four of the Wanderer's crew talking, probably around the table of the main hold eating breakfast. She hoped Kara was in a better mood today, at least. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to go up and be cheerful. 

Kara suddenly appeared at the top of the ramp, and sprinted down to meet her. "Meena," she cried, "I am so sorry! I was so far over the line the other day and all you were trying to do was help me-"

"Kara!" Meena smiled, relieved. "Stop! I forgive you! We all get a little cranky sometimes. I'm just glad you're feeling better." She wrapped her arms around Kara, who very gratefully returned the hug.

And that was the end of that. Thank goodness, Meena thought, and followed Kara aboard the Wanderer.

"Good morning," she waved to Renn and the others, a little shyly. They looked up from their breakfasts and greeted her. Kara sat back down in the empty space on the bench next to Renn and returned to her tea.

"Hey," Renn said, his datapad on the table in front of him. Because of course it was. She rolled her eyes at him. "I got your fake ID ready. Gat helped me out with some of the details."

"Perfect timing," she said. "I heard about the formal dinner from Cait, and I'm guessing none of you have clothes to wear. I'm going to take you shopping."

"Oh, did I say it was ready?" he said. "I mean, I still need to finish up...."

"Kara, dear?" Meena asked.

Kara smiled and smacked Renn lightly in the back of his head.

"Ow!" Renn glared at Meena. She just smiled sweetly at him. "Do we really have to go to this thing?"

It was Liana who answered. "It is important that we be there and make a good impression. Not just on the other Matriarchs of the _yu'nar,_ but also on those who influence them. There will be many potential allies there."

"And I'm going to make sure you look good." She glanced at Liana. "I'm guessing you don't need my help?"

Liana sighed. "No. My mother and sisters have already promised their... assistance."

"I am covered as well," Aeron said. "My Jedi robes are cleaned and pressed. They are basically a uniform of sorts, and uniforms are always socially acceptable, or at least, not the fault of the wearer."

"You think announcing your ties to the Jedi are a good idea?" Renn asked.

"I _am_ a Jedi, Renn. Even if Master Kell and the council have gone mad, I will not reject the code, or who I am." And that settled that.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along for a laugh... I mean, for moral support?" Meena asked Aeron with a giggle.

Aeron stroked his chin in thought. "While I am always willing to laugh at Renn, I think not today."

"Aw," Meena said. "Cait won't let me get her a dress either. She's already got some formal Mandalorian uniform she has to wear, too." She looked at Renn and Kara. "I guess it's just the three of us, then."

"Okay, another stupid question. Are there any places to buy clothes here?" Renn asked. "I mean, the natives don't wear clothing."

Liana nodded. "There should be, for our off-world guests and traders. I can ask where to find them in the city."

"All right, fine." Renn grumbled.

"Oh, cheer up, Rennie," Meena said, with a wicked smile. "You get to see Kara in a pretty dress."

"And we both get turned into your dress-up dolls... again." He sighed. "Let's get this over with."

About an hour later, the three of them were back on the planet's surface. Liana, through her sister, had gotten them directions to the area of the city where outsiders tended to congregate. Several shops there catered to the needs of non-Trianii, including, Meena was excited to find, a tailor who could make custom designs.

The tailor turned out to be a red-skinned, blue-haired Zeltron man. "What can I do for you today?" he asked when they entered his shop.

"We need some formal clothes," Meena said.

"Oh, are you attending Matriarch Sayarre's dinner?" he said with enthusiasm. "I've gotten quite a lot of business lately over that little party." He sized them all up with a look. "I have a catalog of ready designs here." He motioned to a terminal nearby. "Almost all of them can be altered, or we can discuss something custom if none of them are to your liking."

"That's probably a good place to start." Meena grabbed Kara's arm and dragged her toward the catalog terminal. "You first," she said, smiling.

"Oh, yay," Kara said, in the most unenthusiastic tone possible.

"Come on. It's fun getting to dress up, at least once in a while, isn't it?"

"I guess. I just hate people making a fuss over me." 

"What if it's Rennie?" Meena whispered, grinning. 

"Now, you're just instigating," Kara said.

Meena giggled and started flipping through the offerings in the catalog. "Stop me if you see something you like, okay?" And she paused. "Oh. What about this one?" It was a strapless, low-cut design, with a back that plunged almost to the waist. She knew it was probably too sexy for Kara, but she had to at least try.

"Where's the rest of it?" Kara asked.

Meena rolled her eyes and kept going. "That's right. You don't like to show off."

"I'd rather be clothed, yes," she said. "Besides, I could never wear something that low-cut. I'd be too afraid of something falling in."

Renn snorted. 

"No comments out of you, Rennie," Meena said. "You're next." He rolled his eyes, but fell silent.

Meena paused on several more designs, but Kara found flaws with each of them. At least she'd found a couple of possibilities for herself. But she should have remembered from their swimsuit shopping trip how this was going to go. It had taken forever for them to find something that satisfied Kara's farm-girl modesty then, too.

Finally, Meena found one that she thought might not get rejected out of hand. The dress had a halter top that fastened around the neck, so that Kara's entire cleavage would be covered, and a floor-length skirt with a long slit up one side. The back dipped a little low, maybe, but it was a nice look overall. "Can we alter this one?" Meena asked the tailor thoughtfully. "I would want to make the skirt shorter so it's easier to move in, for one. But I think it would look good on her."

Kara gave an appreciative coo. "This one actually looks pretty good. You're right, though, we need to shorten the skirt a bit. Maybe get the hemline to the knee?"

The tailor came over and started tapping on a second console. The displayed design, shown on a generic 3D female model, altered, the skirt shortening to end just above the knee, and also making the slit in the skirt much shorter as well. "We could also change the cut of the back, as well, if it's too exposed for you, Miss." Meena stifled a laugh; apparently even the tailor had caught on to Kara's modesty.

Meena glanced at her appraisingly. "I would leave it, personally, but, well, that's just me. You need a little sexy. Right, Rennie?"

"Huh?" He looked like he wasn't even paying attention. Meena rolled her eyes at him. At least he hadn't brought his datapad.

"No," Kara said, "I kind of like the back where it is. But what colors can we do this in?"

"What colors are you thinking?" the shopkeeper said. "We can make it in any color you'd like."

"What about blue?" Meena suggested. "Oh, or maybe a really deep red? You could pull that off with your hair color."

"Not red. It just isn't me. Blue would be nice though."

The tailor grinned and made a few adjustments to the dress' parameters. Abruptly, it was displayed not in black, as it had been before, but a shimmering blue that caught highlights of bright sapphire, and plunged to deepest black in shadow. He twiddled with another control and the virtual model spun for the women, making light dance across the dress.

Meena and Kara both gasped appreciatively.

"And now...." The shopkeeper pressed buttons and glittering gemstones appeared at the model's ears, wrists, throat and in a silver belt around her waist. "Thoughts, ladies?"

"Um... not the ears," Kara said, covering her own non-pierced earlobes. 

"Ah," said the tailor. Abruptly, the gems moved to stick pins in the model's hair, approximating Kara's usual hairstyle, but with a bit more flair.

Kara's eyes lit in delight. Meena wished she could record it; she was so cute.

"I think that means we'll take it," she said, grinning at the tailor. Then she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'll pick something out for myself later. For now we need to find something for _him_ to match her. They're an item."

"Ah," the Zeltron man said. He tapped a few buttons to save the design they had decided on. Then, he looked Renn over intently. He seemed embarrassed by the sudden scrutiny. 

"Being that we're in Trianii space, we should let the young lady shine and be the center of attention. May I?" Meena nodded, and the Zeltron man fiddled around with his console a moment. He brought up a male model, wearing a simple suit with tailored trousers and a long jacket, both in black, over a white shirt. He added a splash of the same blue that they'd chosen for Kara's dress, in the form of a cravat at the neck and a sash at the waist. "What do you think?"

"I like it," Meena said. Kara nodded her approval.

Renn looked it over. "Hmmm. Not bad..." 

The tailor smiled, tapped a few keys and then suddenly the female model, wearing the blue dress, was displayed next to the male. A few keys more, and they seemed to be dancing together, the female model held in the male's arms. 

Renn's eyes lit up.

"Sold!" Meena cried in glee. "Now, about _my_ dress..."

***

Three days later, the day of the formal dinner arrived. Renn entered the dropship hangar to find Meena and Cait already there, waiting for them. Meena was wearing a little form-fitting black dress, with shoes to match. She wore simple gold jewelry, a necklace and a couple of bracelets. The headdress she wore tonight was also black, with decorative gold and red accents to match the Clan Rook colors. She looked beautiful, mature and elegant.

So of course, he had to call her by her embarrassing childhood nickname.

"Wow, Meenie," he said, "you look really good."

She made a face and stuck out her tongue at him. 

Cait smiled, though. "Damn right she does."

Cait, Renn thought, had gotten away entirely too easy. She wore a Clan Rook formal uniform: a black tunic trimmed with gold, white slacks and high black boots. A wide blood-red belt tied around her waist gave a dramatic splash of color. A ceremonial dagger hung from it. Like Renn's own suit, Cait's had a high, folded collar, but on her, it looked sophisticated. On him, it just felt annoying.

"Stop tugging at your collar, Rennie," Meena said. "You're going to mess it up."

"I can't help it. It's itchy."

"Damn, Falani, they roped you in, too, eh?" said Gat. He and another Mandalorian were approaching, both wearing uniforms similar to Cait's.

"Someone has to keep you in line," Cait told her brother. "Since I'm going to be busy being civilized all night."

"Not too civilized, I hope," said Gat's companion. Renn did a double take and realized the big man next to his friend was Lug. He was about to make some comment when he heard a soft footfall from the top of the Wanderer's ramp.

He turned in anticipation, only to see Aeron and Liana descending the ramp. Aeron just wore his Jedi robes. But Liana....

If anyone else had been wondering what Trianii formal wear might look like, they got their answer when Liana appeared. A small jeweled pendant dangled in the middle of her forehead from a chain. Two necklaces hung around her neck, asymmetrical, one tight at her throat and the second hanging to the middle of her chest. A trio of silver chains wound around a brightly colored scarf at her waist, in lieu of the belt that she normally wore. Around both her wrists and ankles were wrapped cuffs or bracelets of a sort, made of leather and silver, and adorned with stones.

She looked beautiful... and incredibly uncomfortable. "My mother insisted," she said with a growl, before anyone else could say anything.

Renn had never seen her in anything more elaborate than her day-to-day toolbelt. It was a bit of shock. "You look nice, Captain," he said.

Liana smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Where is Kara?"

"She kicked me out so she could finish getting ready."

"I could go see if she needs help," Meena offered, but there was no need.

Kara cleared her throat from the top of the ramp, and slowly made her way down to them. The short-heeled shoes she wore clicked on the ramp as she descended. She looked... well, "amazing" was the only word Renn could find, and it was not enough. Her dress shimmered in shades of blue from brilliant to dark, over black stockings and the dark blue shoes. Gold accents glinted at her belt and wrists, and a little hint of blue on the ornaments in her hair, holding it back from her face. From the belt, on either hip, hung her gleamingly polished lightsabers.

Renn couldn't look away. He devoured her with his eyes. "Damn, farm girl," he said in a low voice. "I mean... You look..." He took a deep breath. "Um, wow." 

Meena giggled. "I think he likes the dress," he barely heard her say in an aside to Cait. 

Kara came to his side as she reached the bottom of the ramp. Renn slipped an arm around her waist, and spoke close against her ear. "Can't we just skip this party and go back to our bedroom...?" He was only half-joking.

Kara rolled her eyes. "No, we can't." Then she leaned in close and whispered, "That's our reward for getting through the party first."

He sighed heavily.

Liana shook her head at them. "Please promise you'll behave yourselves tonight."

Kara grinned. Renn looked sheepish.

The dropship ride to the estate was calm and sedate. Lug complained that he could have completed the trip in half the time.

"But then, all our finery would be covered in sick, Lug," Cait chided him.

Lug only shrugged at that.

Sayarre met them at the landing pad. She wore a similar style of jewelry to Liana's, only more elaborate, gems glittering against her golden fur. "I am glad to see you all," she said. "It seems curiosity has won out tonight. Only a few of the Matriarchs turned down the invitation outright. The rest have all expressed some degree of interest in speaking with you first-hand."

Liana bowed her head. "I suppose I should be the one to speak to them at your side."

Her mother nodded. "It may be best for the more reluctant of them to hear from one of our own kind first." She surveyed the rest of them. "Please, be welcome here and enjoy yourselves. Most here tonight should speak Basic, but if you need translation, any of our family will be glad to assist."

"And I'm around, too, if you get into trouble." Tihaar pushed off the wall by the door where he'd stationed himself. He was dressed much less extravagantly than the female Trianii, a sash plus wrist and ankle cuffs his only concession to formality. He hadn't forgone his Ranger armor, although he had cleaned it up a bit. He and Liana locked eyes for a moment, then he smiled at the rest of them, with that grin of his that was actually scarier than their Captain's. 

Renn saw the blood drain from Gat's face. "I suddenly wish I'd brought my armor. So. Many. Teeth...."

"He's on our side, believe it or not," Renn said to his friend. He kept a possessive arm around Kara's waist.

"Mostly," Tihaar said. "Remember that I am here to keep the peace. If you do so, we will not have any problems."

"Ranger, please don't threaten my guests." Sayarre turned and headed back to the house.

As they entered, Liana split them up into pairs as best she could. "We must be announced before we enter the room," she said. "Aeron, will you act as my escort for the evening?"

Aeron gave her what Renn still called his 'Jedi bow', hands crossed before his chest. "Honored, Captain."

"Renn will be Kara's, naturally." Liana eyed Cait and Meena with consternation. "While our culture hasn't frowned on relationships such as yours in centuries, my friends, the forms of courtesy are a bit more... outdated. Would it be all right if you were introduced together, with Gat and Lug as your escorts?"

Lug rubbed his nose. "Just don't ask me to dance. I'll be at the buffet."

Cait offered Meena her elbow and they nodded.

Renn grinned. "Last chance to back out, Boss."

She shot him a look that made it very clear she was considering it. But they really had no choice, and even Renn knew it. 

They reached the reception hall's antechamber, and Liana gave their names to the herald stationed there. The herald announced them to the room in a surprisingly carrying voice as each pair entered, "Captain Liana of the Wanderer, daughter to Matriarch Sayarre; and Aeron Rhade of the Jedi Order." 

There was a noticeable hush as Liana and Aeron entered. The outcast returned to the fold and a Jedi made an odd pair indeed. But then it was his and Kara's turn. They stepped through the antechamber door onto a small presentation landing as the Herald took a deep breath and filled the room with his somewhat awed voice. "The Lady Kara Tao Vanden of Derra IV, Bladedancer and bearer of the holy light—"

The room went dead silent. Every eye turned toward them, and all conversation ceased as they slowly descended the short staircase into the hall proper.

"That explains why Sayarre wanted me to bring my lightsabers," Kara said softly.

The herald continued, as if he'd only just remembered. "—and Renn Falani of Nar Shaddaa."

"That's me, just her hanger-on," Renn grumbled to himself, but the herald had already moved on to Cait and Meena.

"Lady Caitlyn of Clan Rook, captain of the Free Mandalorian cruiser Phoenix; Lady Min Eberle of Clan Rook; and their escorts, Gatrius of Clan Rook; and his grace, Duke LaGruian Barlows Vesturi of the Rimward Wall, Hero of the Battles of Thonia, Tenalp, Escarix IX, Lord of the Iscandari Nebula, Sword of the Beskar Legion, and chief engineer of the Free Mandalorian cruiser Phoenix."

Renn and Kara both turned to stare at Lug.

He blinked back, covered a belch with his hand and made a straight line for the buffet.

Liana gathered her family around her, speaking quietly. "We should probably mingle." She considered. "Renn, there are some traders and other off-worlders here. Some of them have alliances and influence with the _yu'nar._ Treat them like clients."

"Right," he said with a resigned sigh. 

"Kara, it might be best if you speak to those Matriarchs who are already leaning toward supporting us. If we can win their full support, they can help us convince the others. Aeron, many will be curious about the Jedi and wish to speak to you. Talk to people, see who approaches you, get a sense for how they are feeling if you can."

Kara and Aeron both nodded, but Kara still looked a bit unsure. 

"Zeyra will introduce you to the people you should speak to," Liana said. "You can trust her judgment. Just be truthful, and be yourself. We won't win the Matriarchs over by selling to them, but by the merits of the truth."

Kara looked greatly relieved.

"What about you?" Renn asked.

Liana nodded toward where her mother was talking with several other Trianii. He recognized at least some of them from the meeting of the _yu'nar_ the other day. "I will go with my mother and talk to those who are a little more wary of outsiders."

Renn reluctantly let go of Kara, though not before he leaned in for a quick kiss. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," he said. "I'll be right there if you need me."

She smiled and squeezed his arm, then she was gone among the crowd, Liana's sister joining her.

Renn noticed a knot of non-Trianii clustered on one side of the room, talking among themselves. He wished he'd known who he was going to be talking to ahead of time, so he could do his research. Oh well, he would have to wing it.

He made his way over toward them. Their conversation seemed to be about trade routes and shipping. Seemed like a good place to start.

A couple of them paused and looked at him with interest as he approached. He took that as an invitation and introduced himself. At first they were curious about Kara, but he quickly turned the conversation back around to trade. He listened to them complain about the cost of shipping things here to Trianii space. He mentioned that their ship was a cargo hauler and that seemed to be enough to divert their attention. When he added that their Captain was herself Trianii, and therefore could bypass many of the local import tariffs, they were hooked. Maybe he could even get them some steady work out of this, when everything was all over.

Renn moved smoothly from conversation to conversation among the non-Trianii traders. Talking to people was easy, if exhausting. He listened, he sympathized, he joked. He couldn't exactly buy anyone a drink in this setting, which was his usual opening, but most of them were traders from the Republic or Hutt Space, the same sort of people he dealt with all the time as clients. It was enough common ground, at least.

"Well, hello there," said a female voice behind him, just as he stepped away from one small group, intending to take a moment to get himself a drink and catch his breath.

He turned to see a Zeltron woman looking at him in clear interest. He guessed she was early middle aged. She bore some resemblance to the tailor they'd visited the other day; perhaps they were related. 

"Ziris Vox," she introduced herself, holding out a hand to him. 

"Renn Falani." He took her hand and kissed it, to be polite. She beamed at him.

Vox was wearing something that could be called a dress, by some definition. It was black, very tight, and left quite a lot of her pale red skin exposed. Her dark blue hair was piled on her head, a few tendrils of it loose and framing her face. From the jewelry she wore, she probably had quite a bit of money to throw around, too.

"I heard. I saw you come in with your little... friend," she said, looking him over. "I'm in charge of the off-world traders' guild here. I've heard about your problem from my dear friends in the _yu'nar._ I think I might be able to help you out. For the right price, of course." 

Great. That meant she was someone he probably shouldn't offend.

Vox took his arm in an overly familiar gesture and started walking away from the larger group of partygoers. "Why don't we have a little chat?" Her smile was downright predatory. "Just the two of us?"

Renn had a very bad feeling about this.

***

Zeyra led Kara over to a side alcove, not quite out of the main flow of the room. 

The subtle move had an almost immediate effect. Parties who wished to discuss matters with the Bladedancer, or just to be seen discussing matters with her, now had to form a rudimentary queue. Within a few moments, perhaps a third of the guests had migrated toward their little area.

At the head of the queue stood Paila. On her arm was a tall, lithe human male with flowing dark hair and sparkling green eyes. 

"Matriarch Paila," Kara said in greeting, before bowing her head slightly and adding, _"groshte, hak nar."_

Both Zeyra and Paila's eyes went wide, but the young matriarch returned a somewhat shallower bow. " _Hak nar_ , Kara Tao Vanden. The ceremonial greeting of prospective friends... I had not heard that in quite some time. I can see Sayarre's family has taught you well."

Kara smiled. "Actually, I began studying your ways and language as soon as we decided to come here. I haven't gotten too far, I'm afraid, but I hope my accent wasn't too horrible."

"Better than mine after several years of learning Basic, I assure you."

Another of the matriarchs that Kara vaguely recognized from the assembly peeled off from the crowd around Sayarre and Liana and approached. She was a steel-furred matron whose name Kara could not recall. "Why, young Paila, how wonderful to find you here."

The woman's Song stank of such vile disgust that Kara's stomach churned. Paila greeted the woman with a smile and brief nod. "And you, old girl. I had thought this gathering... outside... your usual circles. Kara, this is Matriarch Cerrah. Cerrah, dear, this is Kara Tao Vanden."

"Matriarch Cerrah," Kara said, repeating her bow. " _Groshte, hak nar_." Sudden anger flared in Cerrah, but Kara continued in Basic. "Learning of different cultures teaches respect for all, and gives one a better perspective on their own, does it not?"

Cerrah's tone turned frosty. "Some would say that one's culture is sacred, and not the property or plaything of an outsider."

The anger and disgust rolling off Cerrah was like a great toxic cloud, burning in Kara's mind. "Indeed. But, as my mother raised me to believe, if you go through life with closed mind, heart, and eyes, you will die ignorant, friendless, and quickly."

Zeyra choked a bit and Cerrah stalked off. Kara sighed. "I think that may have been a bit much...."

"On the contrary," Paila said. "Cerrah was never going to vote your way. She's only here because she wants to rub it in Sayarre's face. She's so conservative and isolationist, she doesn't approve of the use of fire for cooking. She's annoyed the entire _yu'nar_ at one point or another with her stiffness. If anything, you gained a measure of respect."

A sudden chaotic scream in the Music announced Aeron's approach. "Well done," he said. "I was speaking with some of Vatari's allies. Though none said so, all heartily approved of how you dealt with Cerrah."

Kara grimaced. "Progress, of a sort."

Aeron smiled. "Speaking of, Renn seems to be throwing himself fully into things, doesn't he?"

Kara looked over to see Renn talking with an attractive, scantily-clad red-skinned woman across the room. The woman was standing very close to him. She looked over at Kara, as if purposefully trying to catch her eye. Then she leaned in to say something to Renn, putting her hand on his arm. He laughed at whatever she was saying.

It was what Renn Sang though... worry, guilt and shame. He was afraid that he'd get caught? He was up to something he knew he should not be? 

No! That was ridiculous. Renn was just doing what she was doing, what he called being 'on'. Charming clients. She shouldn't ascribe motives to anything. Especially not subtle, hard to Hear ones, not when she was standing next to the riotous torrent of Song that was Aeron. She should trust Renn, and get back to work.

But that image, of the woman looking at Kara while obviously flirting with her boyfriend... that was tough to ignore, as was the image of them standing so close.

***

When Sayarre had to confer with one of her cronies about some parliamentary maneuver or some such, Liana took advantage of the short break to get a drink.

Tihaar came up behind her. "Hmm," he said, studying her glass. "Water. Interesting. Never touch the stuff myself..."

"I've noticed," she said. 

"Hey, I bathed. I even got dressed up for the occasion, see?" He pointed to one of his shoulder pauldrons, where a massive carbon scoring burn had blackened the metal for years. "I buffed it out." 

"Indeed?" She peered at his shoulder. "Huh. Imagine that."

"How do you think it's going?" he asked, sipping at his own drink.

"I have no idea... I hope well."

"You look very beautiful."

She laughed. "I feel like a trussed up bovine. I wish _I_ could have just worn my old Ranger armor..."

"Well, I'd support your reinstatement." He sipped his drink again.

Liana sighed. "I can't... I'm drawn in too many directions."

Tihaar nodded. "I understand. Still, I'm glad you came home, even if it was just for a visit."

She laid a hand on his. "So am I, my friend, so am I." She turned to look back at the crowd. "I should get back."

"Anything I can do to help, just say the word."

"Help? You?" She laughed warmly.

"Hey," he said in mock-hurt, and pointed to the bare metal of his shoulder armor. "I buffed."

***

Renn was cornered, and he knew it.

He'd tried to make it clear that he wasn't interested without coming right out and saying so. Vox kept flirting with him anyway. She'd even implied — more than implied, really — that she would happily help their case with those Matriarchs she had influence on, in exchange for... certain favors. 

She was persistent; he'd give her that much. Uncomfortably so. He was tempted to drop his polite mask and tell her off, but if she really had as much influence as she'd said, he didn't want to offend her and ruin their chances. 

Renn scanned the room for an escape route. He didn't want to bother Kara or Liana or Aeron, who were all in important-looking conversations in various corners of the room, and he'd lost track of where Meena and Cait had gotten off to. Instead, his eyes picked out Gat and Lug by the buffet table. He could work with that. 

"I'm sorry," Renn said, pulling away from Vox. "I think one of my companions needs to speak to me about something urgent." 

The Zeltron woman actually pouted at him. "That's too bad. Do consider my offer, though," she said, running her hand down his arm. 

"Please, excuse me," he said firmly, extracting himself from her grip.

Renn made his way through the crowd to Gat. "I need a favor," he said quickly. "Find something important to talk to me about."

"Huh?" Gat asked, looking confused.

"Just- I don't care, make it look like we're discussing something important. Please?"

"How much will you owe me?" Gat asked with a grin. Renn rolled his eyes, but Gat was obviously teasing him. "Okay, okay. What's all this about, anyway?"

"Do you see a Zeltron woman over there? Don't stare."

"You mean the one who looks like she wants to eat you for dessert?" 

"Yeah," he said. "She won't take 'no' for an answer, but she's important, so I don't want to insult her. I made an excuse that you needed to talk to me about something important so I could get away. So... help? Please?"

"Sure, give me your datapad."

"What?" Renn asked. "I didn't bring it."

Gat gave him a level look.

"Don't tell Kara. She'd kill me." Renn produced it from an inner pocket of his jacket. Gat began typing into it and showed Renn a screen full of gibberish. 

The two of them argued over the contents, and soon everyone gave them a wide berth.

"Damn, it worked... Maybe a little too well," Renn observed.

Gat returned the datapad, and then glanced over Renn's shoulder. "Sorry, bud." Gat quickly left.

Renn felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. "Now, dear Renn," Ziris Vox purred as she turned him around, "have you thought about my... offer?"

So apparently they were done with subtlety. Fine. "With all due respect-"

"Ah, there you are, Renn," Aeron said, neatly stepping in between him and Vox. "Forgive me, milady, but I need to borrow my friend for a moment, if I may?"

Vox pouted prettily, but then with a graceful wave of her hand, she said, "Oh, if you must, Master Jedi." She turned and melted back into the crowd. 

Aeron steered Renn away, toward the center of the hall. "Thanks," Renn said, with complete sincerity, "I owe you one."

"Any time," Aeron chuckled. 

***

"Oh," Paila said, "I have been remiss in introducing my companion." She gestured to the man who stood silent at her elbow. "Kara, Zeyra, I'd like you to meet my dear friend, Frayd Tirs of the Baobab Merchant Fleet. He is visiting Ekibo, and I thought I'd bring him along tonight. To annoy the rest of the _yu'nar_."

The man stood straighter and clicked his heels, then swept forward into a low, graceful bow. "It is an honor to meet you both." His voice was soft, almost melodic. "Lady Zeyra, your estate is most impressive, and the lands around it are elegantly managed."

Zeyra nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you. The estate has been in my family for over ten generations, but we have been farmers for far longer. This soil is in our blood."

Frayd smiled and even Kara had to admit, it was dazzling. His face was almost too perfect to be entirely natural. "I envy you such a strong tie to your home. I grew up in the fleet, moving from one trading outpost to another. While I would not change a thing about my life, I do miss seeing a sun rise or fall on the horizon. Natural beauty is... well, the greatest of all gifts."

The honesty of Frayd's Song made such a refreshing change from the caustic wash of self-interest in the party as a whole that Kara found herself growing quite interested in this man. She decided to dig a little deeper and focused all her senses on Frayd.

What she found was... less than pleasant. Oh, he'd been truthful enough, as far as it went. But whereas Renn assumed a certain demeanor when meeting with potential clients, Frayd wore so many masks that the truth of him was buried at the bottom of an impossibly deep well. And the truth was one of greed, gain, and avarice.

"Excuse me, Lady Vanden?" he said, and Kara suddenly realized Frayd had been talking to her and she hadn't heard a single word of it. 

"I'm sorry," Kara said, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "My mind was elsewhere for a moment. You were saying, sir?"

Frayd waved it off with practiced ease. "Quite all right, my dear. I was saying that in my travels, I have heard of your deeds on a surprising number of worlds...."

***

Renn and Aeron were about to circle back toward another group of traders and officials, when Aeron glanced to one side. "My, Kara seems to have thrown herself into things."

Turning to follow the Jedi's gaze, Renn saw a lean, handsome man making conversation with Kara, Liana's sister, and that young matriarch, Paila. The man said something to Zeyra, and Kara looked like she was hanging on his every word. Then she turned toward Renn. Their eyes met briefly and she looked away.

The wave of revulsion that washed over her was palpable from across the hall. 

What he couldn't tell was _why_ she felt it. Was it directed at the man, at the situation in general... or at him? 

***

There had to be a way to graciously tell this guy to go away, Kara thought. She'd been trying to imitate Renn's manner of dealing with pushy clients: smiling a lot, laughing at their jokes, showing interest in everything they said and did... but she just didn't have the knack. It felt forced to her, but Frayd seemed to be eating it up. He responded in kind and she redoubled her efforts, even if it made her feel ill.

"Of course," Frayd said, "the real reason I wanted to meet you was your famous skill with the blade."

"Excuse me, what?" Kara asked.

"Your skill with your swords, my dear," he said smoothly. "I have always admired such skill. Not as an act of violence, you understand, but of focus and beauty. Are you, perchance, related to the famed Selene Au Vanden? Since you bear the same name and title-"

"She was my grandmother," Kara said. This entire encounter was making her quite uncomfortable now. If she couldn't be rid of this man graciously, then in a moment...

"Indeed?" Frayd said. "Then I would be most honored if you'd allow me a friendly sparring session... Lady Vanden, are you unwell?" He stepped forward and laid a hand on her bare back, as if to support her.

A snarling voice behind her said, "All right, that's it...."


	9. Fireworks

Liana had been following her mother around for most of the evening. They spoke to some of the more recalcitrant Matriarchs, those who respected Sayarre — or disliked Vatari — enough to attend, but were still uncertain about the wisdom of supporting her cause.

She had to admit, she understood their doubts. The Trianii kept their independence mainly because they did little to provoke their galactic neighbors. They protected their borders and their colonies, but otherwise stayed out of the affairs of the rest of the galaxy. 

Not only that, but each Trianii world was nominally independent. Ekibo was a single small colony. There was every chance that Trian would leave Ekibo to answer for its own choices if it offered sanctuary to fugitives from the Republic, rather than risk outright war. The Rangers, while formidable, would be no match for the full power of the Republic military. They were well-suited to border skirmishes and protecting trade routes from pirates, not pitched battle.

Liana kept an eye, loosely, on the alcove where Kara and Zeyra entertained their own constellation of people. Liana trusted her sister, of course, but she couldn't help but worry that Kara might be overwhelmed.

Which was how she became aware of the impending disaster.

She was startled to see Kara apparently flirting with that human male companion of Paila's, who had been brought along mainly to irritate the stuffier Matriarchs. _That_ was out of character for Kara. There had to be some mistake. Perhaps Liana was misunderstanding something about the situation.

And then she realized that Renn had apparently seen it, too. He was making his way through the crowd toward Kara. Judging by the look on his face, her partner was about to do something rash.

Liana turned her attention back to the women she and her mother were speaking to. At the first lull in the conversation, she said, "Please, excuse me. I need to see to something."

Her mother gave her a questioning look, but she shook her head quickly. She would have to explain later. Right now, she needed to stop her idiot children from destroying every scrap of progress they'd made.

She reached Kara not long after Renn did, in time to see Paila's companion put a hand on Kara's back.

"All right, that's it," Renn snarled, shoving the other man's hand away. He grabbed Kara's wrist, and pulled her toward him none too gently.

"Ow!" Kara threw Renn's hand off her arm and glared at him. "You're hurting me!" 

Renn was about to say something else when Liana's hand came down on the back of his neck, and he started. "Please accept my apologies," Liana said to Matriarch Paila and her guest. "I need to borrow my family for a moment." She grabbed Kara by the neck as well, and steered them both away from the assembly and toward the door.

***

Aeron drifted over to a quiet corner opposite the room from Meena and Cait, as Liana stalked over toward Renn and Kara. A moment later, the latter were leaving the party at Liana's insistence, most of the room glued to the spectacle. Gat peeled off from where he was wisely hiding out with Lug, and followed them.

While Aeron wondered if he should follow Liana out, Cait and Meena had taken over talking with the other off-worlders. But as the shocked gasps died down and conversations resumed, a knot of decidedly unfriendly Trianii came up behind Cait. They appeared to have an issue with Mandalorians in general. 

"It's remarkable," one of them sneered behind Cait's back. "I didn't think you could make a Mandalorian dog presentable, let alone teach it manners."

Aeron saw Cait's spine go rigid and she slowly turned to face the speaker. There were six of them, both males and females, spread in a loose semi-circle. "I do beg your pardon," Cait said in an arctic tone, "but I was was having a pleasant conversation and missed the first part of what you said."

Their leader, the largest of the females, sneered and repeated the insult.

Cait sized up the Trianii, and Aeron recognized the shift in the warrior woman's stance. She was preparing to fight. 

But then Meena was between them.  "Actually, Mandalorian canines are quite well-trained, and highly intelligent." She smiled sweetly at the sputtering Trianii, and gently took Cait by the hand, leading her away.

One of the other females laughed and said something in their language, and the tail of the one who'd insulted Cait bristled like a war mace. She snarled something and lunged toward Aeron's friends, catching Meena's right lekku in her grip.

Meena gasped in pain even as her foot lanced up and around, catching the Trianii woman square in the chest. The Trianii fell back into her fellow's arms, the wind driven from her lungs.

Cait blinked at Meena as the Twi'lek straightened the hem of her skirt. "Those are not for grabbing!" She sighed. "Cait, shall we step outside for some air?"

With great dignity, they left the room. Aeron thought that, after the exit of Renn and Kara, this must surely end things, but a decidedly amused ripple passed through the room. Aeron found Liana's sister at his elbow. "Cerrah's children," Zeyra explained. "Pack of thugs, the whole lot of them."

He smiled. "Indeed." But before he could respond further, out in the currents of the Force, there was... something. A slight twinge, just a hint of a storm on the horizon. 

A chance.

***

Liana walked Renn and Kara toward the landing pad, her tail flicking back and forth rapidly in anger. 

Renn tried to squirm out of her grip. "Let go!"

"Get off!" Kara said. 

"I don't even want to know what's going on!" Liana hissed. "At this point, I simply do not care. You two are endangering everything we have been working for, and for what?"

She looked back and forth between them. Neither said a word. 

She shook her head and finally released them. They both stumbled, falling on their backsides. Kara rubbed her wrist. Renn just looked sullen. 

Liana sighed and massaged her temples. "I thought I could trust you to understand the importance of this."

"Liana-" 

She cut Renn off with a snarl. "Not now! We will discuss it later." Her voice was ice cold. "If you cannot behave like adults, go back to the ship." 

Behind them, Gat cleared his throat. "Look, I know this is a family drama, but what affects you affects _my_ family, so what the bloody hell are you two thinking?!"

Liana turned. "Perfectly put, Gat. Do me a favor? Get these two back up to the Wanderer, while I repair the mess they made." 

Gat nodded. Liana stalked away without another word, tail lashing behind her.

***

The dropship was still parked where they'd left it, the Clan Rook pilot cooling his heels in the cockpit. Gat explained the situation to him. He went about requesting permission to boost for the Phoenix, while Gat settled into the rear area, between Renn and Kara.

Kara sat, arms crossed and looking anywhere but in Renn's general direction. On some level, she knew she was being petty, but bruises were already forming on her arm where he'd grabbed her. Between that and his sudden possessive streak, she was ready to scream.

Thankfully, neither Renn or Gat tried to speak to her during the flight. When they docked aboard the Phoenix, she made a straight line for the Wanderer, and woe betide any who got in her way. She stormed up the ramp and went into the galley area, looking for the tea Aeron always made when he was suffering on the periphery of their Force bond.

Renn met her eyes, pausing in the entrance at the top of the ramp, then he turned to stalk down the hall, not saying a word.

She slammed her mug down and followed. Hopefully, he was going to the cockpit, his usual brooding place. She just wanted to get out of these damn clothes before taking her lightsabers to the cargo hold and burning off some steam. But he turned at the door to their room. 

"Hey, me first!" she said. "Go sulk in the cockpit like you usually do."

"It's _my_ room," he snapped.

"There it is. Captain Possessive strikes again."

His eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means?! First you act like a herd dog marking territory, and then you go off and start flirting with that... I don't even know _what_ to call her!"

"What?! I was _not_ flirting!"

"Excuse me? She kept looking over at me while _you_ were acting like a kid with his hand in the sweets jar!"

"I wasn't!" He crossed his arms. "It's not like you can talk. I saw you making eyes at that- that- smarmy-"

"I wasn't doing anything I haven't seen you do a dozen different times with clients, but I've never come over and clawed you for it!"

"That's different! It's just business! I don't flirt with clients!"

"The lady with the red skin and half a dress would beg to differ, and so would I!"

"I told you, I was _not_ flirting with her! I was trying to get rid of her all night! On the the other hand, oh fulfiller of holy prophecy, you kept making doe-eyes and come-hither giggles at that stuck-up rich bastard."

"Fulfiller of... what?!" Kara rolled her eyes. "Is that what's got you so riled up? This cockamamie idea that I'm some sort of holy woman?!"

"No!" 

She snorted. 

Renn glared at her. "You heard them down there! You're the Bladedancer! You burned out the darkness! _You_ filled the whole damn galaxy with light! Me, I'm not even a damn footnote."

"A-ha! That's it! Of all the stupid things... you're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, Kara! I'm-" His fists clenched at his sides. "You don't get it. That light, that galaxy-saving light? Every damn bit of it burned right _through_ me! And I can't even talk to you about it, because _you_ don't want to hear it! You damn near bite my head off whenever I try!"

She took a step back, and then leaned in, fists cocked on hips. "What was I supposed to do? Let the damn Silence _eat you?"_

Renn shook his head angrily, apparently at a loss for words.

"Well?" she demanded, scowling at him. 

"Damn it, Kara, _I love you!"_

Kara was half-ready to retort, but just stood there with her mouth open. What did he just say? 

Renn looked startled for a moment, too, as if he couldn't believe he'd just said those words aloud. But he pressed on. "I don't know if it's- if it's something _you_ did when you... changed me.  I still don't know what the hell you did to me...."

She had trouble getting thoughts from her brain down to her throat to form words. At length, she managed a mouse-sized whisper. "What do you mean?"

"We've been sparking off each other so hard all night, I can't even tell what my own kriffing thoughts are. I can't tell what's _me_ anymore." He lowered his voice. "Is this real, or is it this bond between us? Is the bond the only reason we're together?" His anguished eyes burned into hers. He was all but begging her to deny it. 

She couldn't. 

"I- I don't know." Her fists slid off her hips and she wrapped her arms protectively around herself, withdrawing to put her back to the wall. "If- if I tell you that I love you, is it because I do, or because this thing between us is pulling us closer together?" She looked away, unable to bear the pain in his face any longer. "How can I know... how can _you_ know...?"

Renn deflated, sagging back against the wall across from her. For a long moment, neither of them said anything, neither moved. The doubts between them were a gulf that stretched wider than this hallway, wider than any ocean. It was a gulf she didn't know how to cross.

When Renn spoke again, the raw anger was gone from his voice. He sounded almost hesitant. "Liana told me to focus on what I know is true, and... to have faith."

"What?" She looked up, startled, and met his eyes.

"We speak loudest through our actions," he said, as if he were quoting the words. 

Before she could ask what he meant by that, he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

Kara froze. For one heartbeat that might have been an age, she stood perfectly still as Renn pressed his lips to hers. Then she closed her eyes. Slowly, her hands slid up into his hair and pulled him closer to her. The kiss was sweet and gentle, kind and precious. When she withdrew, he stood rooted to the spot, his eyes still closed.

"I love you," she breathed. "Why? For what reason? It doesn't matter. I love you, Renn... that's all that counts."

He opened his eyes, searching hers. His hand brushed her cheek. "I love you," he said again.

The tension of the past few weeks, the anger and the frustration of the fight, finally having those words out in the open between them... it was all too much for her. She needed him, desperately. She grabbed his jacket and pulled him close again for a deep kiss. Renn's hands ran down her back to hold her to him. His touch burned against the skin left bare by her dress.

She had him out of his jacket and halfway out of his shirt before he managed to blindly get the door to the dormitory open behind them. They all but fell into their bedroom together in a frenzy of kisses and caresses, fumbling awkwardly with inconvenient clothing.

They didn't even make it to the bed. Impatient, Renn pinned her up against the bulkhead beside the door, his mouth on hers, his hands sliding up under her skirt. "Sparking?" he growled when they pulled apart to breathe. Asking for permission, she thought.

Kara met his eyes. "Damn right we are." She pulled his mouth back to hers again for another hungry kiss.

***

Aeron stepped from the main hall, grimacing as he felt the Force bond come alive with burning passion. It seemed Renn and Kara had patched up their differences. Oh, goody.

He found a deserted hallway and fished out a comlink, one of the old handheld ones. He adjusted the frequency and sent out a broadbeam signal. "To any receiving ships in the area, Code Dorn. Ident number 625-9746-Senth. Acknowledge."

As he waited for a response, he felt things in orbit above shift into a higher gear through the bond and he groaned inwardly. This was never a pleasant experience at the best of times, but now it was downright uncomfortable.

Footsteps came from the direction of the hall... shod footsteps at that, so not a Trianii....

A moment later, Meena came around the corner.

"Oh! Aeron! I was wondering where you got off to," she said with a smile. But her expression shifted to concern as she took a few steps closer to him. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he said. "I just needed some air. So much... strong emotion." He grunted as the bond quivered again. "Go on back. I'll be along presently."

Meena hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else. "All right, if you're sure. I'll leave you alone for a bit."

From his pocket came a response. "This is Republic warship Emancipator responding, Master Jedi. We've received your signal and stand ready to assist you. We should be at your position in less than an hour."

Meena stopped short. "Aeron? What...?" Realization came over her face. "Why? Why would you-?"

"Oh, damn." He swore and thrust out his left hand, reaching with the Force to close Meena's windpipe. "This is bothersome...."

"Aeron, please... stop...." She barely managed a whisper as her air was suddenly cut off. Her pleading eyes bore into his, full of pain and betrayal. She stumbled back against the wall, hands at her throat as if she could somehow stop him.

He leaned in and snarled in her rapidly darkening face. "I am _not_ that mewling quim, Aeron... My name is Rhade." He tightened the grip and Meena let out a soft, hopeless little cry.

And then he stopped, staring at his clawed left hand in shock and disgust.... The Force was suddenly blocked. Stymied. Meena fell to the floor in a gasping heap.

"Very well," he said in a firmer tone. "The old-fashioned way." He reached for her throat and wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing for all he was worth. The Twi'lek quickly went limp.

"Meena? Are you down here?" Cait came around the bend. "What the hell?!" She drew her dagger and charged.

Rhade dropped back two paces and called on the Force. This time it answered promptly. He seized Cait in an invisible grip and propelled her head first into the wall. When she tried to rise, he slammed her back down again. Twice. Hard. Cait didn't move after that.

Plucking his comlink from its pocket, Rhade responded to the Emancipator. "Acknowledged. I'll be ready. Rhade, out." He cut the comm.

Checking his robes, Rhade returned to the main hall. Liana and Sayarre were conversing with what looked like most of the _yu'nar_ still present. A quick Force scan of the room showed a far more favorable outcome for Liana's crew than he'd expected, imagine that.

He _had_ to get back to the Wanderer, and fast. He spotted Lug stuffing his face at the buffet and approached. "Can you get me back to the ship?"

Lug shrugged and belched. "Just call for a shuttle, it'll take about an hour."

Rhade waved that aside. "I need to move faster than that. I need _you."_

Lug wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grinned. "I love me a challenge...."

***

"I told you we should have skipped the party," Renn said against Kara's ear. 

She snuggled closer against him. "Yes, dear, you're very wise."

At first, they had both been consumed by fire and need, the flame stoked by tension and heightened emotions. Afterward, they took their time, making love to each other, slow and languid like water. No less passionate, but patient and gentle. 

Now, they lay tangled together in their bed, nothing in the galaxy but the two of them, here in this moment. All Renn wanted to do was to forget the politics, forget the danger, and just stay like this in Kara's arms until the stars burned out around them.

The light in the dormitory was dim, but he could still see the small bruises darkening on her arm where it rested against his chest. He ran his hand lightly over them. He had done that to her, in anger.

"Kara, I'm sorry. I- I was out of my mind." He looked away, ashamed of himself. "It's no excuse. I don't want to be like that."

"Then don't be," she said. She placed gentle fingers on his chin and turned his face back to her. "I know how trite that sounds, but we seriously need to talk about what happened, what's _been_ happening since Castell. And not just cover it up with emotional bandages."

"I know. You're right. I just... I don't even know where to begin."

"For starters, tell me why you turned so jealous so fast?" She caressed his cheek. "You have to know I think the stars of you. That's not going to change, ever."

"I- Well, you haven't exactly met a lot of people before. I mean... what if you meet someone new, finally come to your senses and figure out I'm no good for you?" His tone was teasing, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't really thought that a time or two. Or twenty, honestly. 

Kara met his eyes and held them. "Do you truly think so little of me?" She smiled to soften her words. "I know who you are, Renn. Not just the face you show the world, but the one you keep only for yourself. And I love that man, in all his facets, and all his faults." She kissed him.

He held her close. He wasn't sure how to put his feelings into words. She seemed to sense he needed a moment to gather his thoughts, and nestled into his embrace, warm and reassuring. 

"Ever since Castell," Renn said at last, "it feels like you've been pushing me away. You've been so distant sometimes. I know you're dealing with a lot, and I get that, I really do. I'm trying hard not to put anything else on you." He cupped her cheek, running a thumb gently over it. "But the thought of losing you scares me more than anything. I don't know how to fix this. I don't know how to help."

Some of the joy left her eyes, but none of the love. "We- we both know what's coming. I think you know what the- the Silence being back means, even more than I do. I'm going to have to face it, sooner or later. If you're with me...." She trailed off, unable to finish.

"Well, I'd offer to run away with you and hide somewhere, but I think you'd punch me if I did." He knew the terrible joke was going to fall flat, but he couldn't help it. They both knew there was no running from this. He stroked her hair. "You don't have to do this alone. You know that, right? We're in this together."

"Renn, if you're there, if it can find you... I can't lose you. Not again. Renn, it would unmake me." She clutched him to her in a fierce embrace that made his ribs creak, but he didn't feel the pain, only the need.

"Remember what Rukka's grandmother told you? You spread your strength around the galaxy last time. If you're still this strong, then the Silence doesn't stand a chance." He brushed her hair gently back from her face. "Even if I can't physically be there, I'm still with you. Here." He rested his forehead against hers. "Always. You're not alone. You never have to be alone again." 

Kara didn't respond, not in words. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she buried her face against his chest, trembling like a leaf in a storm.

He kissed the top of her head and held her tight, sheltering her body with his own as the storm slowly passed over her. 

By the time her tears had calmed, he'd come to a decision. 

"Kara?" She looked up at him, perhaps hearing something odd in his tone of voice. "You know, we make our own rules on this ship. We're not citizens of anywhere, and we don't really have to prove anything to anyone. But... if you want... I want... I mean... It doesn't have to be anything formal. We're practically living like it already anyway." 

What happened to not overthinking things, idiot? 

"Hell, I'm botching this." Renn looked into her eyes. She may have already guessed what he was working around to, but he couldn't tell by her wary expression. 

Keep it simple. He took a deep breath, then just said the words, as plainly as he could. 

"Will you be my wife, Kara?" 

Kara's eyes went wide as saucers and her mouth fell open. Worse, he felt a wave of intense emotion from her. He couldn't put a name to any of it, but the complex blend of feelings all equated to one simple answer. She wasn't going to say 'yes'.

"Renn," she whispered, "are you...? Do you know what you're asking? Especially now?"

Apparently he'd misread the situation. "You know what, never mind. Sorry. It was a stupid thought." He pulled away from her, the rejection stinging.

"No, Renn, wait." She placed a hand over his heart. "That's a very, very large question. I need to think about it, all right?"

"All right," he said. "Are we... still okay?"

"Of course we are." She leaned in and kissed his brow. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said. It was easier to say it again, now. And even if she said 'no', he could live with that, as long as she stayed by his side. They shared another long, lingering kiss.

After a moment, she pulled away and yawned. "Sorry, it's been a long day." She rolled over and reached for her robe. "I want to get some tea before I go to sleep, okay?"

He raised his head suddenly. "Is everything all right?" 

She leaned in and kissed him again. "Of course it is. I just need a moment to unwind.... I'm way too keyed up to sleep. I'll be right back."

"Okay." He watched her get up and pull on her robe. Then he grabbed her pillow and piled it up with his own on his side of the bed. 

"Hey, I'm gonna need that back, spacer boy."

He smirked up at her. "I'm just keeping it warm for you, farm girl. Besides, you always wind up using _me_ as your pillow anyway."

Kara laughed and brushed his cheek with her hand. "I'll be back soon," she said, "I promise."

"I'll be here." Renn nestled into the pillows and watched her go.

***

Kara padded out into the galley area of the main hold and resumed making the cup of tea she'd abandoned... before. She smiled impishly to herself at the memory of the last... by the Music, had it only been an hour or so?

And then Renn had asked her.... Did she even want to have a child? Ignoring the insanity of bringing a new life into the world in their present straits, did she want one afterward?

She heard the wyvern cry an odd little trill and looked up to see him swooping down the main hall. But it wasn't him, not really. She could see the bulkhead through his small body.

What was happening here? The wyvern was followed a moment later by a little girl, perhaps five years old, if that. She ran along behind the bird, giggling, with hands outstretched. The girl had raven-dark hair and eyes the color of new grass. And she was... happy. Deliriously so.

The vision faded, chased away by the darkening reality, and Kara braced herself against the galley sink, shaken to her core. 

From out of her memory came the conversation with Meena and Liana that night, about marriage and children and.... Oh! Her hand flew to her mouth in chagrin. What Renn had truly been asking wasn't what she'd thought. She should have realized that sooner.

She heard Aeron in the Music long before he strode up the ramp. He glowered at her, and then back down the main hall toward her and Renn's room. 

"How bad was the damage?" she asked the Jedi in a small voice, ashamed of the scene she and Renn had caused at the party.

Aeron shrugged and stalked toward the medbay. "It wasn't as bad as it seemed. Liana and Sayarre got the worst of it smoothed over." He disappeared into the medbay for a moment before returning with a small medical injector.

"That's good to hear," Kara said. Was he feeling ill? "I- I'm sorry if we threw you off-balance because of the bond...."

He waved that off irritably. "Look, I don't have a lot of time here. I need you to get a read on what Renn's doing through the Force." 

Kara blinked in confusion, but did as he asked. "Renn's asleep right now. He-" Her eyes flew open in sudden terror.

"That's right," Aeron said. "I'm clamping off blood flow to his brain. He'll be dead in minutes."

Kara made as if to charge Aeron, but he merely held up a hand. "Attack me and Renn dies immediately. Here." He tossed the injector to her. "Stick that needle in your arm and dose yourself with all of it."

"What?! I-"

"Do it, or I'll kill your boyfriend and dose you myself." He produced a lightsaber and lit it. "Recognize this? It belonged to the Shadow you killed." He glared at her, and his voice dropped to an icy whisper of rage. "Now, take your medicine."

Renn was dying, and if she so much as lifted a finger, he would.... There was nothing she could do. She raised the glass ampule and gave herself the full dose of whatever it was. 

Her limbs instantly felt heavy and she staggered. As if from a great distance, she heard the wyvern scream and saw the little bird launch itself at Aeron's face. It clawed and raked and stabbed its razor sharp beak at him. Aeron flung it away. The wyvern crumpled to the deck and didn't stir. Tears stung her eyes, but the drug was overwhelming her senses. She couldn't think.

As blackness began to overtake her, she heard Aeron speaking into a comlink. "Republic Flagship Emancipator, this is Jedi Rhade. I will be leaving the Mandalorian cruiser presently aboard one of their dropships with a prisoner. Once we have docked, destroy the Mandalorians."

And then she was gone.


	10. Betrayal

Liana fought to keep her irritation under control, and not show any signs to the gathered Matriarchs. It was bad enough that the children had caused scenes, but for Aeron, too, to have abandoned her.... When she got back to the ship, all of them were going to discuss this.

She and her mother sat in deep discussion with the members of the _yu'nar_ who remained. At this point, only Cait, Meena, and herself were still on the surface — though she had no idea where the two ladies had gotten off to. Liana managed to make excuses for her crew's hasty departure, mainly by blaming it on their weak human constitutions. 

Her ears flicked at a familiar sound. A Ranger comlink. Her eyes searched the room until she spotted Tihaar leaning against a wall nearby. He spoke quietly into his wristcom. After a moment, he nodded and lowered the device, then he made his way toward the gathered Matriarchs.

She had a bad feeling about this.

"Excuse me, Matriarchs," he said, cutting in to their conversation. He counted heads and nodded. "Good, most of you are here. Saves me some time."

Sayarre's tail lashed the air. "Get on with it, Ranger." 

"Yes, Matriarch. We just got report of a Republic fleet pulling into orbit," he said. "Command has ordered us to stand by for now."

"What?!" Liana demanded, forgetting herself.

"Oh, it gets better. They are asking us to turn over the terrorists. And the Republic claims that Matriarch Vatari invited them." He met Liana's eyes with a defeated shrug. "There's nothing Command can do if they were asked here, not without starting a war."

Liana swore under her breath, and the Matriarchs started arguing about the situation. When her own comlink went off a moment later, she stepped away gratefully. Hopefully this was Renn with more information from his terminal aboard the Wanderer.

Instead, Meena's voice came over the comlink, barely a whisper. "Captain... we need help. Cait's bleeding...." 

"What?! Where are you?" But the line went dead. 

Liana caught Tihaar's eye. He'd been watching the Matriarchs argue among themselves, but now he came to her side. 

"I think someone attacked Meena and Cait," Liana said in a rush. "Cait, at least, is injured. We have to find them."

Tihaar spotted Rukka on the periphery of the crowd, calling him over with a shrill whistle. Liana repeated the explanation, and they split up to search the compound.

Rukka was the one who found her friends, down one of the more isolated side hallways. He called Liana and Tihaar immediately. 

They arrived to find Meena slumped against the wall, dark blue bruises against the purple skin of her throat. Cait lay nearby, in a pool of blood. Liana went to Meena's side, while Tihaar checked Cait's pulse. She heard Rukka a little way down the hall, speaking over his comlink with the estate's infirmary.

"She's alive," Tihaar said. "But I don't want to try to move her. Can't tell how serious it is." 

Liana nodded. Meena was unconscious, and her breathing was shallow, but she was not bleeding anywhere herself. She looked as though she'd been choked almost to death. "Who did this? Cerrah's brood?"

Tihaar looked at the dents in the wall and floor. "Nah, they were in the main hall with us.... Besides, someone slammed Cait around damn good. They'd have to be pretty strong to leave the walls looking like that."

Liana shook her head. Between this and the Republic fleet, there was no way it could be a coincidence. The events _had_ to be connected somehow. 

A pair of medics from the house infirmary appeared with hover-stretchers. She watched in worry as Cait and Meena were carefully loaded onto them, and taken away.

"Rukka," Tihaar said to her nephew, "go with the medics. As soon as there's any change, comm both of us."

Rukka nodded and followed the stretchers.

"I need to get back to my ship," Liana said, after the boy had gone. "I need to know what's going on out there."

"You can't leave your friends down here. You leave now, and we'll have no choice but to turn them over to the Republic."

She growled in frustration. "I know that!" 

Tihaar looked thoughtful. "Listen, I have an idea. Maybe."

She eyed him warily. "Your ideas are usually terrible."

"Fair enough. But once in while I get it right." He grinned at her, and she couldn't help but chuckle at the expression, despite the gravity of the situation. "Wait here. I'll be back in a little bit." He started off down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Liana asked, but he just waved over his shoulder at her. Her tail lashed angrily. That man was infuriating.

At a loss for what else to do, she went back toward the main hall.

***

Kara was gone.

Renn came back to consciousness with a start. The first thing he noticed was the complete absence of her presence nearby. He could still feel something, vaguely, through their bond, but it was distant. That usually only happened when she was too far away. Off the ship, at least. 

He looked around blearily. Her robe was gone. There was no sign that she'd ever come back to bed after she'd gotten up to make her tea. How long had he been asleep? And... _ow!_ Why was his head pounding?

He scrambled up, hastily pulling clothes on. He needed to know what the hell was going on here. Had she left, because of what he'd asked her? That didn't feel right.

Renn stumbled out into the main hold to find Kara's cup of tea, cool and barely touched, sitting by the sink in the galley. He frowned, staring at the tea. Okay, so she'd gotten that far, but she hadn't drank it. Why? Something must have stopped her. Some emergency, maybe? Something from the surface?

Something was very wrong. 

He started toward the computer terminal, to check the security camera feeds, but stopped short when he saw a heap of something white in the middle of the floor of the main hold.

His stomach turned with dread. It was Kara's wyvern. Blood stained its feathers and claws. 

He knelt by it. It was still breathing, and Renn didn't see any obvious wounds. The blood didn't seem to belong to the little bird. 

He started to check it over for injuries. As soon as he touched it, the little creature suddenly began to thrash around and hiss violently. Its claws lashed out and caught the back of his hand, leaving thin, shallow scratches. Renn winced. He wasn't sure if he could get through to it; he couldn't communicate with it in the Music the way Kara could. He tried to soothe the bird, speaking softly. "Hey, settle down. It's just me."

The wyvern stilled, making a small noise at him. He noticed it was laying half on top of something dark. Renn shifted the wyvern out of the way gently, and it nudged at his wounded hand as if apologizing.

He picked up the scrap of something that the wyvern was lying on. It proved to be a hank of black hair. 

It was Aeron's. A bit of bloody scalp still clung to one end, like it had been forcibly torn out.

"What the hell?!" Renn dropped it, startled.

The wyvern looked up at him, then it turned to glare and hiss at the lock of hair, then back to him.

He stared at the bird. "Wait, did _Aeron_ do something to Kara...?!" His eyes flicked back to the bloody hank of hair. "Did you-?" 

The Phoenix's sirens began blaring from all around the Wanderer. "What the hell is going on now?!" He scrambled up and over to the computer terminal. According to the ship's system time, he hadn't been asleep that long. It had only been a few hours since he and Kara had come back to the ship. He tried to raise the Phoenix's bridge on comms to find out what was happening.

When Sallis answered, he sounded like he was under twenty kinds of stress. "Wanderer. Sallis. Go."

"What's happening? Why are the alarms going off?"

"A kriffing Republic fleet is in-system. One of our dropships launched just as they appeared and is making right for them." The Mandalorian Commander took a breath. "Look, I've got a lot of plates in the air, Falani. Just get up here."

"Right," he said, and closed the connection. He was starting to put the pieces together, and he didn't like the shape of the whole he found.

Aeron had betrayed them, kidnapped Kara, probably forcibly. Aeron and Kara had to be on that dropship Sallis mentioned. It was the only thing that made sense. 

If that was the case, then the Jedi had gone running straight for the Republic ships the moment they arrived. Had he been secretly working for his precious Masters this whole time? Had he been part of the Jedi plan at Castell? How far back did this go? 

Had Aeron ever really been on their side, or had he just been lying in wait for an opportunity to stab them in the back?

"Master Renn? Do you need assistance?" B4 asked, disrupting his train of thought. The droid emerged from the medbay, where his charging station was. "Oh my, your hand is injured. I will treat it immediately."

He shook his head. There was no time for that now. "I'm fine. You and T5 get the ship prepped for launch."

"Sir?" The droid sounded taken aback. "Captain Liana is not aboard."

"Just do it, B4," he said. "We might need to leave in a hurry as soon as she gets here."

He left the droids to their task and headed toward the ramp. The wyvern landed softly on his shoulder a second later, and crouched low, refusing to be dislodged.

"Fine, little guy, you can come, too." He bolted for the Phoenix's bridge.

They arrived to find the Republic fleet had cut off the cruiser's escape routes. "Boomer!" Sallis barked from the command station. "Have you gotten an ID on that dropship yet?"

"No idea," the comm tech said. "But we're showing two lifesigns aboard."

"It's Aeron and Kara," Renn said. "He kidnapped her. I'd bet Gat's hundred credits on it."

From the engineering station, Gat growled something about not being free with other people's cash.

"One of the Republic ships is breaking formation!" said the sensor tech. "It's moving to shield the dropship!"

"Sallis," Renn said, "Aeron's making a run for it! We _have_ to stop him!"

The Commander turned and glared at him. "Falani, right now the only thing keeping that fleet from blowing us to dust is them playing nice with the Ranger ships escorting us. We open fire and it all goes to hell." He frowned, and his voice softened. "I'm sorry, Renn."

From the comm station, Boomer reported, "Getting a signal from the planet. It's on Cait's frequency."

"On speakers," Sallis said. "Cait, have you been monitoring?"

"This is Liana, Commander. Cait and Meena were attacked by persons unknown and are seriously injured. They are in my family's infirmary now. They will survive, but both are in rough shape."

"What the hell happened?!" Gat and Renn both asked.

Sallis silenced them with a glare. "Acknowledged, Liana. Have you been monitoring the situation up here?"

"We have. The Rangers are holding position for now, but only until the _yu'nar_ can no longer stall the Republic. Once they demand a response, the Rangers will be ordered to stand aside."

Sallis cursed. "Then we can't stay here and we can't run. The fleet has us completely bottled up."

"As soon as they pick up Aeron's dropship," Renn said, his mind racing ahead, "that Republic dreadnought is going to jump to hyperspace. That's why they're moving now." They were going to take Kara and run. She'd _always_ been what they wanted, ever since the start of this whole thing when they'd tried to get her to come to their academy. They wanted her under their control. His stomach turned, but he couldn't look away. 

Gat studied his monitor. "I'll be... Falani's right. It's going to tear a huge hole in their formation."

"Then, that's our shot," Sallis said. "But we can't run, not with Cait and the others on the surface."

"Hang on. I have an idea. Captain," Renn asked, "can you get access to a ship?"

Liana was quiet a moment. Then she said, carefully, "Yes, I think so. Why?"

"You see that Republic ship pulling out? Rimshot." He was aware of the confused Mandalorians around him, but he ignored them.

"Ah. I see," she said. 

"Good luck. Phoenix out." He made a cutting motion to Boomer and the tech cut the signal. "Sallis, when they open that hole, jump through it, exactly two light years into the black. That's where we'll meet the others."

Sallis looked at him with a wry smile. "You know, son, this is _not_ your bridge."

Renn looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"Navigation," Sallis said. "Prepare a one-light-year jump along that vector. Gat, Falani, get back to the Wanderer."

"Huh?" Renn blinked.

Sallis rose from his station and rested his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "You two are getting off and meeting up with Captain Liana's party. We'll lead the Republic away. You'll go on to meet Liana and Cait alone."

"No way!" Gat stood up suddenly from his own station. 

"Gat, I'm in command here. If you two and the Wanderer split off, you double the chances of someone surviving this mess and getting the _truth_ out. Now, get that heap ready to launch."

"Sallis-" Renn tried to object, but Gat turned him around and hurried him off the bridge and back to their ship.

***

Liana closed her comlink, but it beeped again almost immediately.

"Aunt Liana," Rukka said over the speaker, "Meena's awake, and she's mostly okay. Cait's still unconscious, but she'll recover."

"Can they be moved?" Liana asked. 

A pause, and then Rukka said, "The medics aren't thrilled with the idea, but yes. Both of them can be moved."

"Right. Get them ready; we need to leave. Liana out." She cut the comm. Now all she needed was a ship, before she lost the opportunity to follow and meet up with Renn and their allies. 

Tihaar dashed into the room with his 'I've got an awesomely bad idea' grin and flipped her something small. "I brought you a present."

She caught it on instinct, and stared at it. "Wait, is this...?" 

"The activation key for that little ship that I was helping Saheen fix up. It's waiting outside for you."

The Goddess bestows.... "You kept it?"

"Of course I did. Still been working on it, too. Your nephew helps out sometimes." Tihaar grinned at her. "It's not much, but it's fast, and it does have a hyperdrive. It'll be a tight fit for the three of you, though. You'll have to go by yourselves."

"Tihaar-"

He shook his head. "Don't say it. I know."

She wrapped her arms around him. He nuzzled her cheek. "I'm going to miss you, my dearest friend," she said. "And... I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked.

"For this." When she pulled away from him, she had his blaster in her hands, aimed at him. 

He stared at her, then gave a snort of a laugh as he checked the empty holster on his belt. "Ah. Your escape needs to look real, for the Republic's benefit. Right." He met her eyes and nodded. "I always knew you'd shoot me one of these days."

Liana made sure the blaster was set to stun, and shot him. She checked his pulse quickly, then shoved the blaster through the scarf around her waist and went outside. 

She found the gorgeous little ship waiting on the landing pad in the courtyard. Saheen had bought it years ago, much to her dismay at the time. He and Tihaar spent so many hours working on it together. A long and lean thing, it was black as night, except for the brilliant orange striping here and there to add menace. It had swept-back wings and lines that made it look like it was doing lightspeed standing still. It had begun life as a military craft, a penetrating attack bomber designed to get in and out in a hurry. 

She ran her hand over the hull a moment. Her beloved was still with her, when she most needed his help. 

She shook herself out of the reverie. There was no time for that right now. She needed to retrieve Cait and Meena and get them aboard. 

"Aunt Liana?" Rukka asked from behind her. 

Liana sighed, not wanting to look at him. She didn't want to have to shoot him, too, if she could help it. "Go back inside, Rukka."

"But... Grandmother asked me to bring them here." 

She turned to see him supporting Meena with one arm. Cait, still unconscious but with bandages wrapped around her head, lay on a hover-stretcher. Liana's mother also stood nearby, watching with an unreadable expression.

Liana bowed her head. "Thank you, Mother." 

Sayarre nodded, but said nothing. 

Liana opened the little ship's hatch. Rukka helped Meena inside first. Then her nephew gently lifted Cait from the stretcher and carried her aboard. There would be just enough room to lay the woman on the floor behind the two seats. The ship was not very large. 

When he came back, Rukka hugged Liana tightly. She stroked his fur.

"Rukka," Sayarre said, "go inside. Tell your mother to keep the guests there a little longer."

The boy pulled away and ran back into the house, dragging the stretcher after him.

"Mother," Liana said. She would probably never come back here, never see this place or these people again. 

It hurt just as much to leave this time as it had the last time. 

"Vatari will pay for what she has done," Sayarre said with a venomous snarl. "That is the one thing the _yu'nar_ agrees on."

Liana shook her head. "That doesn't matter now." She drew the blaster again. "You know why I have to do this."

"Yes. You sacrifice yourself, to give us a way out, a chance to claim you betrayed us." Her mother held her gaze. "Know that this will always be your home, Daughter, and we will always be your family. If you ever choose to come back to us, you _will_ have a place here."

Liana felt tears clouding her eyes. "I need to go. If Renn is right, we will only have a short window for escape." 

"I am sorry it has come to this. I wish we could have had more time."

"So do I, Mother," Liana said sadly. "Please, forgive me." She leveled the blaster, still set to stun, and fired. Sayarre crumpled to the ground, and it took all her will _not_ to run over and help her mother. She left the blaster on the ground at her feet.

Liana boarded the ship, and carefully stepped around Cait, lying on the floor behind the seats, to settle into the pilot's chair. The Goddess and those she loved best were honoring her with a gift, an opportunity, and she would not waste it. 

"Captain?" Meena said from the other chair. The Twi'lek still couldn't speak very well around her swollen throat.

Liana shook her head. "Rest. Don't try to talk now." Then she took a deep breath, and started the flight system initialization. "We're going home."

***

Renn sat at his station in the Wanderer's cockpit, but instead of Liana in the pilot's seat, it was Gat. The Phoenix had dropped out of hyperspace just long enough for the Wanderer to take off before they'd departed again, leaving the smaller ship to make the second half of the jump to the rendezvous point alone.

Renn stared at a blank sensor display as they came back out of hyperspace. If any of the Republic ships had followed them.... Having something else to concentrate on was probably the only reason he was functioning right now. His friends needed him. 

"Falani," Gat said, "stop tapping your foot."

"I can't help it. I'm nervous." 

"Renn, I get that, but this is the sort of conversation that can only end in a blaster shot." Gat sighed. "Look, I know they took her. I know you're climbing the inside of your skull right now. Know how I know?"

"How?" 

"Because I'm doing the same thing. I don't know if Cait is even still alive. I don't know what's happening to everyone and everything I love. They told me to get the krif out, so they could run off and lay down false trails. So when I ask you not to aggravate me by tapping your foot, _bloody listen!"_

"Right. Sorry." Renn forced himself to be still and went back to studying the sensors. There was a whole lot of black out here.

Suddenly, his display registered another ship dropping out of hyperspace within range. "We've got another ship on sensors. It's too small to be one of the Republic ships. It might be Trianii... I think it's them." 

Sure enough, the comm lit up a moment later. He opened the channel.

"Wanderer? Please acknowledge." It was Liana's voice.

"Captain, we're-"

"Liana! How's Cait?!" Gat demanded, cutting him off.

"Don't shout," Cait said. "My head is pounding enough without your help, little brother." 

As Gat collapsed back into his seat, giving thanks to whatever deities he had, Liana asked, "Are we clear, Renn?" 

"I haven't seen any sign of pursuit so far."

"Where's the Phoenix?" She sounded confused.

Renn looked over at Gat. "It's a long story. You'd better dock that thing and come aboard."

"Have B4 set up the airlock between the cargo hold and the main cabin. We can fit this beast through the rear loading ramp."

"Okay." Renn tapped on his console, sending the order directly to the droid. T5 beeped something ominous behind him. "Huh. No, T5, I don't know if Aeron's new room is actually airtight. I guess we'll find out." He kind of hoped it wasn't. 

"What?" Liana asked.

"Long story," Renn said. "Not over comms."

"We'll be there shortly. I think we all need to talk."

"Yeah, we do."

When Liana cut the connection, Renn sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "Well, this should be a fun conversation," he muttered. He wasn't looking forward to telling them any of this. Liana would be angry, he knew, but Meena was going to be devastated by Aeron's betrayal. 

Liana got the hot rod they were flying slotted into the bay without losing any paint, but it was close. The bay sealed and was re-pressurized. Renn and Gat were standing at the airlock hatch when the light turned green. They helped Cait to the medbay for a full going-over by B4.

Once Cait was on the medical bed, B4 began scanning. Meena stood by her side the whole time. Renn noticed the bruising at her throat. 

"What the hell happened?!" he asked.

Meena spoke in a rough, hesitant voice. "I... I found Aeron... or I thought it was Aeron... talking to the Republic fleet."

They apparently hadn't had time for explanations down on the planet, because even Liana looked surprised by that. 

"What do you mean, you thought it was Aeron?!" Renn said.

"He started to choke me... with the Force," she said. "But his eyes were wrong, and he said he wasn't Aeron. He said his name was Rhade."

"That is Aeron's surname, isn't it?" Liana asked, frowning. "What does that mean?"

"But... he didn't kill me. It was almost like he couldn't." Meena's voice sounded like it was getting worse. She clutched Cait's hand. "I think they did something to him on Castell, and he's fighting it. That's why he couldn't kill me."

"Meena, it _was_ Aeron," Renn said.

She shook her head, but didn't say anything.

"He took Kara!" Renn slammed a fist into the wall. The words hung in the air, heavy. Everyone stared at him except Gat, who already knew.

"What?!" Liana's tail lashed. "How?!"

He stared at his own clenched fists rather than looking at any of the others. "He came aboard the ship while I was asleep. We got it on the security cameras. It looks like he threatened her somehow, and forced her to drug herself." Renn didn't know why Kara hadn't fought back, but he had his suspicions. Aeron must have threatened him or Liana somehow to get her to cooperate. It was the only thing that made sense. He'd been used against her, again.

"Kara's little bird scratched up his face trying to protect her," Renn continued, "but he knocked it away and left. He took her on a dropship to the Republic fleet, and they ran. They're probably halfway to Republic space by now."

"Rennie-" Meena looked like she wanted to say something else, or try to hug him, but she stopped short at the look on his face.

"Don't tell me it wasn't him, Meena," Renn snarled. "It _was_ Aeron. And when I find him, I'm going to kill that backstabbing son of a bitch."

"First things first," Liana said. "Renn, go change the ship's transponder. Put it under Meena's false identity, like we discussed."

Something else to concentrate on. Good. He nodded. "Then what, Captain?"

Liana's tail moved slowly. "My family has been damaged enough. I will not allow any more." Her voice betrayed barely contained anger. "We are going to find Kara and bring her back, no matter what."


End file.
